QUOTA CHAOS IN HARYANA Violence, blockades keep region cut off from Delhi, thousands stranded on roads, rail platforms; toll touches 15 DANGEROUS TURN Caste war erupts at many places, protesters clash with army, snap water supply to NCR, 20 buses burnt in
THE CENTRE HAS SENT ADDITIONAL 1,700 PARAMILITARY PERSONNEL TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION.
ROHTAK/HISAR/CHANDIGARH: Fresh incidents of arson kept Haryana on the edge as the toll in the Jat quota agitation mounted to 15, with seven more deaths reported on Sunday.
MANOJ DHAKA/RAVI KUMAR/HT(Top) Haryana Roadways buses on fire at Tosham in Bhiwani district on Sunday. The traffic jam on Grand Trunk Road near Karnal due to a blockade by Jat protesters on Sunday.Despite heavy presence of army and paramilitary forces, Jat protesters in Bhiwani and Sonepat districts torched two police chowkis, shops and an ATM. As sporadic attacks continued in different areas, Union home minister Rajnath Singh held discussions with Jat leaders and a delegation of khap representatives from Haryana to douse the stir. Road and rail traffic remained paralysed, leaving thousands of passengers stranded as major land and road arteries, including national highway No 1, remained blocked.
Industry body Assocham pegged the loss to industry so far due to the ongoing agitation at ` 20,000 crore. With agitation taking caste colour, two persons belonging to a non-Jat community were allegedly killed by agitators in Jhajjar.
Several properties of non-Jats were targeted in Rohtak and Jhajjar cities as security forces failed to bring situation under control. There were also reports of backlash from non-Jats at some places in these two districts, besides Gohana and Bhiwani.
Three people were allegedly killed in firing at Delhi Gate in Jhajjar, while two were killed in the Chawni area. Another person was shot dead in Safidon of Jind district. There were reports of a person being killed in firing at Garhi-Bindroli village in Sonepat district where security forces had gone to remove Jat protesters who had laid siege to the Munak canal disrupting water supply to Delhi. The supply of the Yamuna water to the national capital was not restored even after a daylong paramilitary action.
Officially, the government said 11 persons have been killed so far in the ongoing stir. “11 persons have been killed and about 150 injured during the ongoing Jat stir,” director general of police Yashpal Singhal told reporters.
The Centre decided to set up a committee to examine the demand of Jats for quota in central jobs, giving in to them. Another decision was to move a bill in the Haryana assembly for giving OBC status to the community.
While the BJP brass is hopeful the agreement would help ease the situation, the state officers, who have been monitoring the situation closely, are not too sure. “Blockades have been lifted from roads at Gurgaon, Palwal, Panchkula, Yamunanagar and Bhiwani in the evening, but it is too early to say anything,” a top bureaucrat told HT.
Authorities had to clamp curfew in Kaithal city in view of the prevailing tension due to protests by Jats and counter demonstrations by non-Jats. The curfew was later lifted. The ongoing pro-quota protest, meanwhile, spread to Panchkula district adjoining Chandigarh with agitating Jats blocking the Zirakpur-Shimla highway at the old Panchkula intersection for three hours.
Jat protesters vandalised a college owned by an MP and a hotel in Sonepat where a rice mill was also set on fire. Over two dozen Haryana Roadways buses were set ablaze at Tosham in Bhiwani district. BJP MP Dharambir’s house was also vandalised in Bhiwani.
Over 40 shops and two police stations were set afire in Kalanaur in Rohtak. A showroom and a hotel were also set on fire in Hansi, Hisar.
Violence was reported in Gohana in Sonepat district, where a mob set on fire several shops, two buses and two motorcycles. A police post was set afire in Barota village of Sonepat district. Protesters also vandalised about dozen dhabas on the GT road and an engineering college in Sonepat. The protesters blocked the national highway at Rewari, disrupting traffic. Ganuar railway station in Panipat district was vandalised. The booking office and station master’s room were damaged.
With violence continuing unabated, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar cancelled his upcoming Bangalore roadshow.
State minister Anil Vij said talks cannot be held with a “mob” and that the Jat agitators should form a committee to hold parleys with the state government. He said the agitation was leaderless and “mobocracy” was prevailing.
“Our government, be it in the state or at the Centre, is committed to reservation to Jats, but it is for them to decide whether they want to give us time so we can come up with something concrete which later does not get struck down by the courts,” Vij said.
The Centre has sent additional 1,700 paramilitary personnel to deal with the situation.
The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines to operate additional flights from here to Chandigarh, Amritsar and Jaipur to enable stranded people reach their destinations.
The agitation has hit rail services hard in the northern states, affecting around 1,000 trains with 736 trains cancelled and 105 diverted besides damage to rail property.
Jats using women as shields against security forces
ROHTAK: Jat protesters are using women as shields against thousands of security personnel deployed to quell the violent pro-quota demonstrations in Haryana that have left at least 10 people dead.
PARVEEN KUMAR/HTWomen from the Jat community blocking the old Delhi-Gurgaon road during their agitation in Gurgaon on Sunday.Women, mostly from agricultural families, are participating in the movement in large numbers following reports that the army may act firmly against demonstrators in a bid to end road blockades that have crippled traffic and transportation of essential goods.
The plan received a boost when a group of female protesters forced soldiers to end a flag march in Rohtak district and turn back. The demonstrators are of the view that the army will not target the women as they do not have female personnel on the ground.
HT spoke to some of the women participating in the protests and they said they had joined of their own free will.
“We have to come out of our houses as our sons are being killed by security personnel,” said Sangeeta who had come from Jhajjar district.
Reports said some protesters wanted to draft the residents of the girls’ hostel at the district’s Maharshi Dayanand University into the movement but the institute authorities did not allow them to enter. “We are fighting for our children’s future. We will do what our family members want us to do,” said Sunita, another participant.
Media reports quoted sources saying the defence ministry had given the army a free hand, for the first time, to take action against those involved in looting and rioting.
“It is wrong to allege that women are being used as shields, but they have joined the protest as they want to support their husbands and sons,” said local khap leader and Kurukshetra University professor Santosh Dahiya.
