“One cannot frame charges against 12-year-olds, nor should the police act with a bias against the community. Gurjjars in the state today are feeling just as unsafe as minorities after a communal violence. They are a terrified lot,” said Pilot, adding that he had demanded a CBI inquiry into the police firing at Peelikheda on May 29.

The residents of Peelikheda still seem to be in a state of shock. “It will be a week more before I will be able to go back to work. Being the only earning member of a family of seven, I want to start working as soon as possible and my family has already started feeling the pinch,” said Ramsingh, who was injured in the violence. For him, the reservation issue is best forgotten for now. “We will worry about that after three months. As of now I have to think about buying a meal for the children,” he said.

However, not all think so. Most community members are now looking forward to the national mahapanchayat at Pushkar on Sunday. Posters of the event were being distributed at Peelikheda and one was stuck to almost every vehicle that had carried the Gurjjars to the village on Tuesday.