Jat quota stir turns violent: 2 killed; rail and road traffic grinds to a halt .
New Delhi : The week-long agitation demanding reservations for the Jat community in Haryana, which was limited to Rohtak and Bhiwani districts, has now engulfed Jhajjar, Sonepat, Panipat, Karnal, Hisar, Kaithal and Jind districts as well.
The Army has been called in at all these places, and more than 1,000 troops have been deployed with shoot and sight orders in Rohtak and Bhiwani. Two persons have been killed and 18 others injured so far.
A wire agency late at night reported the setting of fire to a minister’s house and a mall in Rohtak, and looting of guns and ammunition from an armoury.
This violence is taking a heavy toll of normal life in the state. According to the state police chief Y P Singhal one of the protesters shot at a BSF jawan forcing the police to retaliate, as the mob was not allowing them to take the injured jawan to hospital.
Among the targets of mob violence has been the residence of finance minister Capt Abhimanyu on Delhi road, the residence of the Rohtak inspector general of police and the Agro Mall building and a police post at Dhigal in the neighbouring district of Jhajjar.
Whereas the pro-Jat protesters have blocked rail and road traffic at several places in the state and over 550 passengers trains going from Delhi to Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu have been affected, there has been a counter protest by 35 communities, including the Balmikis, who are opposed to quota for Jats.
Cars, bikes and state transport buses were seen burning across the state, while road and rail traffic remains crippled and educational institutions have closed down in many places. The movement of coal to Punjab has also been hit as more than 80 goods trains have been paralysed.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has briefed union home minister Rajnath Singh about the prevailing situation in the state. Singh has assured all help. Meanwhile, in an effort to defuse the situation, the state government has decided to bring a bill declaring Jats and four other castes as backward communities. “The draft Bill would be framed after taking suggestions and having consultations with Jat leaders and leaders of all political parties,” said chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar after an all-party meeting.
Jat leaders have, however, refused to withdraw their agitation till the legislation for providing reservation to the community under the Other Backward Classes category is passed; they were not reassured even after the chief minister’s promise to include the community in the quota for economically backward persons of general castes and also increasing the EBP quota from 10% to 20%.
The protesters in Rohtak accused the chief minister of resisting their demand as he was “not from the community”. All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti’s national president Yashpal Malik said: “We are not going to withdraw our agitation till our demand is met. We will intensify our agitation in other parts of the state, including Panchkula and Yamunanagar.”
