The Union Home Ministry, worried that matters had not been brought under control even after deployment of additional paramilitary forces in the affected areas, reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting today.

The Union Cabinet, which met here this evening, was briefed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. The minister reportedly said the situation was tense with reports of members of the Meena community gathering in large numbers to counter the agitation by the Gurjjars.

Union Minister for Mines Sis Ram Ola, who represents Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu constituency in the Lok Sabha, described the situation as civil unrest and sought immediate steps to defuse the crisis. Patil said over 27 companies of paramilitary personnel had been sent to the state.

Meanwhile, Congress leader and Dausa MP Sachin Pilot also met Patil today. The Home Minister assured him that the ministry was monitoring the situation and senior officials were in constant touch with the state administration. Reinforcements sought by the State Government had been provided by the Centre, Patil told Pilot. Pilot, who visited some of the affected areas today, expressed concern that the agitation was spreading to more districts. He said tension had now spread to Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. “Brute force is not the answer. There has to be a political solution,” said the MP, who felt the State Government's approach had not helped matters.

Earlier in the day, a meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta took stock of the situation. The meeting was attended by heads of the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force and the Railway Protection Force. They were directed to ensure proper coordination with the state government. Gupta later held a video conference with the state Chief Secretary and Director General of Police.

Four more companies of the Central Reserve Police Force were sent to Rajasthan last night, taking the total presence of the force in the state to 17 companies. These include 11 companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF). Additional RAF personnel at stations like Aligarh and Ahmedabad had been put on standby, sources said. The Centre was also in touch with the government of states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi which have a Gurjjar presence.