Jaipur: Renowned Gurjar leader and convener of Gurjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla passed away after a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Jaipur on Thursday. He was 81. Colonel Bainsla was not keeping well for some time now. His death was confirmed by his son Vijay Bainsla. The body will be brought to his residence in Jaipur from where it will be taken to his native village Mundia for the last rites.
Bainsla's death has caused a wave of mourning among the members of his community. Various politicians and prominent people too expressed condolences on his death. BJP MP from Ajmer Bhagirath Chaudhary while expressing grief over Bainsla's death said his contribution to social reforms cannot be forgotten.
"May God give place to the departed soul at his feet. Give strength to the family members to bear this loss," the Mayor of Jaipur Municipal Corporation Soumya Gurjar said. Cabinet Minister Rajendra Singh Yadav while expressing grief over Bainsla's death said his life was dedicated to social unity and will always inspire people.
Born in Mundia village of Karauli district of Rajasthan, Bainsla started his career as a teacher, but due to his father being in the army, he was also inclined towards joining the armed forces and hence had served in the army as a soldier. Bainsla was inducted into Rajputana Rifles and participated in the Indo-China war of 1962 and the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965.
After retiring from the army, Bainsla returned to Rajasthan and had shot to fame after he started his fight for the Gurjar community's OBC reservation demand. He was the face of Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan in 2007 and 2008 in which at least 70 people died in the violence. Bainsla had also tried his hand in politics and contested from Tonk–Sawai Madhopur on a BJP ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but lost the election to Namo Narayan Meena of Congress by a narrow margin.
After this, he had distanced himself from the BJP, but during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he along with his son Vijay Bainsla had accepted the membership of the BJP in Delhi. Even after joining the BJP, he remained active in issues concerning his community.
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