India: Protesters Demand Jobs and Aid

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/27/world/asia/india-protesters-demand-jobs-and-aid.html

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New clashes erupted Wednesday in western India as the police and paramilitary forces tried to quell riots led by members of a farming caste demanding government benefits. At least five people have been killed by the police or paramilitary units in the past two days, the police said. The authorities imposed a curfew in part of Gujarat State on Tuesday night after mobs attacked police officers with stones and sticks and burned vehicles. The leader of the protesters, known as the Patidars, called for a general strike to press the group’s demands for the special status given to many minorities in India, guaranteeing them a share of government jobs and school places. The Patidars, many of whom use the surname Patel, make up about 20 percent of Gujarat’s 63 million people and say their livelihoods based on farming and small industry have become increasingly difficult to sustain.