24/5/08
Authorities in India have invited leaders of one of the lowest castes for talks as the death toll rose to 37 from three days of bloody demonstrations over caste classification. Police repeatedly opened fire on violent protests by the Gujjar community on Friday and Saturday in half a dozen villages and towns in western Rajasthan state. Gujjars began protesting on Friday in villages and towns across Rajasthan after the government refused to reclassify their caste at a lower social level. On Friday, 15 demonstrators were killed when police fired live ammunition and tear gas to halt rioting.
See: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/89E48BD0-FD62-4629-8ECD-04A02AB617DD.htm
