Jats fight on, want written assurance Centre tells forces to put down agitation
Fresh violence erupted in Rohtak and Sonepat in Haryana on Monday as Jat protesters continued the blockade on roads in some parts of the state, including the Delhi-Chandigarh highway, seeking a written assurance from the Haryana government that the community will get reservations, even as the state government decided a bill would be brought in the coming Assembly session to give reservations to the community.
After the fresh incidents of arson, curfew was reimposed on five villages of Hansi subdivision, Hissar city limits and Kaithal.
Curfew was imposed on five villages of the district and shoot orders issued after a faceoff between Jats and other community members.
The Centre, meanwhile, directed security forces to forcibly clear all blockades put up by Jats to prevent any breakdown in the law and order situation.
Haryana parliamentary affairs minister Ram Bilas Sharma told reporters after the Cabinet meeting the bill will be introduced in the Assembly.
Asked about details on the percentage of reservation to be offered to the Jat community, he refused to give details and said the state government will not disturb the 27 per cent quota meant for Other Backward Classes.
The state government also decided to give an ex gratia of `10 lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the stir and a job for a member of the family of the deceased.
The death toll in the protests had gone up to 19, with 183 others injured.
In New Delhi, the Centre kept a close watch on the situation as home minister Rajnath Singh, after taking stock, gave a detailed presentation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Simultaneously, the BJP’s high-powered committee headed by Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, formed to review the demand for reservations by Jats, has summoned Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday to seek the state government’s views on the matter. The committee held its first meeting on Monday, where other members like Mahesh Sharma and Sanjeev Baliyan, both Union ministers, as well as BJP leaders Satpal Malik and Avinash Rai Khanna, were present.
At his 30-minute meeting wth the PM, the home minister gave a detailed presentation about the agitation and the violence later, as well as steps taken to restore normality in Haryana, official sources said. The home minister also briefed the PM about the meeting he had with a delegation of Jat leaders on Sunday and the decisions taken there.
Prior to his meeting with Mr Modi, Mr Singh took stock of the situation with top officials, including national security adviser Ajit Doval, Army Chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag and others.