Jats resume stir quietly, alert in Delhi

Sec. 144 in border areas, Delhi protests likely today

Haryana’s Jat leaders on Sunday resumed their quota agitation, but on a lukewarm note, three months after their violent protests had left 30 people dead. The state’s BJP government, which had drawn huge flak for its inept handling of the protests in February, took no chances and deployed over 20,000 state and Central paramilitary forces, particularly on the rail tracks and national highways.

Haryana’s home secretary Ram Niwas said the state was peaceful and no untoward incidents were reported

from anywhere. Jat leaders in Jassia village of Rohtak district, the epicentre of violence in February, held a “havan”, as some khap panchayats and Jat factions stayed away.

The All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, which gave the protest call, said dharnas were held in 15 of the state’s 21 districts, and that more protests would be

Internet services banned in Sonipat; control room set up in Chandigarh

held in Delhi and neighbouring states from Monday.

AIJASS president Yashpal Malik said they would hold symbolic dharnas at other places, including Delhi, where one protest was held on Sunday evening. “We started from Haryana today. We also held a dharna in Delhi this evening. Afterwards, we will decide on the further dates for Delhi,” Mr Malik said. The dharnas would also be held in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttrakhand, he added.

The Delhi police announced that prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC will be imposed from Monday in areas bordering Haryana and a few other places where protests might take place. These may include colonies and villages in southwest, northwest and southeast Delhi. In the first phase of the Jat agitation, violence

was seen in and around Mukherjee Nagar and Najafgarh areas.

Sunday’s agitation in Haryana was primarily in the so- called “Jat belt” comprising districts like Jhajjar, Sonipat, Rohtak, Panipat, Hisar, Fatehabad and Jind. “There are small groups of protesters mainly in rural areas. The total number throughout the state would have been no more than 2,000,” a state official said.

Prohibitory orders were clamped in sensitive places in eight districts and the security forces held flag marches as the administration tried to ensure there was no repeat of the February incidents, when 30 people were killed, property worth hundreds of crores of rupees destroyed and key routes blocked by agitators.

Protesters at Jhajjar submitted a memorandum to the district subdivisional magistrate seeking the release of Jats arrested for February’s protests and cancellation of FIRs against them.

A round- the- clock control room has been set up in Chandigarh. The state police and paramilitary forces have also been deployed to guard the Western Yamuna Canal in Sonipat district. In February, protesters had disrupted water supply to the Delhi area by damaging a channel of the Munak Canal.

Sonipat district magistrate K. Makarand Pandurang has issued orders banning all Internet services, including Edge, GPRS and bulk SMS via mobile as there was a chance these might be used to spread false information, rumours and messages for blocking roads, highways, railway tracks, damaging government property and disrupting essential services and supply of food.