In Jaipur, a huge crowd of over 50,000 men went on the rampage when several of them were turned away. According to unconfirmed reports, the army intended to recruit only 350 men. At least 10 policemen, additional district magistrate O P Yadav and additional superintendent of police Giriraj Meena sustained injuries. No arrests were made or case registered in this connection at Jaipur, according to DIG (Jaipur range) Ajit Singh.

The unprecedented turnout for recruitment was the result of patriotic fervour generated by the Kargil conflict.

At Bharatpur, trouble started when the local boys insisted that they be put through the tests before others. The police said that they turned violent around 9 in themorning.

They damaged a state roadways bus and tried to pull down the tents at the recruitment camp. They also looted shops, entered the campus of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC), burnt a police truck and tried to snatch away rifles. Additional SP Yash Sharma, who was hit on the head with a stone, was amongst the six RAC personnel injured.

The police resorted to firing, killing three of the rioters and seriously injuring one. The injured have been brought to Jaipur for treatment.

The three deceased were identified as Samay Singh Jatav (Kumher), Shiv Lahari Jatav (Bayana) and Sohan Singh Rajput (Kumher). The district administration has imposed Section 144 in the area as a precautionary measure.

At Jaipur, rioting started early in the morning. Several vehicles, including an army truck, an army officer's private car and a jeep were burnt and the windows of the army office were broken. Outside, the shops were attacked and looted, vehicles were damaged and, according to eyewitness accounts, at leastthree girls going to their colleges and schools were stripped.

Aspirants had started pouring into Jaipur from Thursday for the recruitment which began early this morning at the cantonment. By today, according to an officer, over 50,000 had gathered. Many of those who came were rejected as they had studied only till the fifth or eighth class. Many young men failed to run the 1,500 metres they were required to.

According to armymen, the youth went out and started stopping traffic on Queen's Road, which was already choked. They soon began throwing stones, broke into shops -- most of which were still closed --damaged vehicles and allegedly molested girls on their way to colleges and schools.

The five or six army jawans at the recruitment centre and the handful of policemen from the local police station at Vaishali Nagar were unable to control the mob. Armymen from the nearby cantonment arrived later. The police sent for reinforcements which arrived after an hour of rioting.

Police lathi-charged and chasedthe rioters who threw stones at them. Four teargas shells were burst to disperse the mob. Many of the men fled into the residential colony on the other side of the road. Some of them threw stones at the houses where they were denied refuge.

A large number of the rioters were chased right up to the railway station, in the hope that they would catch their trains and go away. Hordes of aspirants could be seen all over the city hours after they had been chased away from Queen's Road. Many who had completed the tests hung around in the hope of getting appointment letters on the spot itself. By 10.30 am, the mob was dispersed and the situation brought under control.