Jat reservation row in Haryana: Mobile internet blocked in Rohtak

A day after Haryana Cabinet asked the Chief Secretary to present a report about the provision of reservation to the Jat community, the state government has summoned an all-party meeting today to discuss the issue.

Security forces staged a flag march through Rohtak town yesterday.

While Health Minister Anil Vij alleged that the Congress had always misled the Jats, State Congress chief Ashok Tanwar said that before coming to power in Haryana, the BJP leaders had made tall promises to the community and was now finding itself in a fix.

Normal life has been severely affected in various parts of Haryana with the agitation affecting supplies of essential commodities like milk, vegetables, LPG and petroleum products in several parts of the state including Rohtak, Jind, Bhiwani, Sonepat and Hisar.

Jat leaders on Friday refused to withdraw their agitation till a legislation is passed giving quota to the community under OBC even as the authorities in the worst-affected district suspended Internet and mobile SMS services due to the stir which has disrupted rail and road traffic.

While lawyers joined in the protests at Sonipat, a large number of students held a protest in Rohtak.

While rail and road traffic has been worst hit in the Rohtak-Jhajjar region, the epicentre of the protests, Bhiwani, Sonipat, Hisar have also been adversely hit by the agitation.

Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services between Hisar-Delhi today as a precautionary measures due to the ongoing Jat agitation.

Prohibitory orders have been clamped in Rohtak after traders and advocates clashed outside the district court premises on Thursday. According to Rohtak Superintendent of Police Shashank Anand, 15 contingents of Border Security Force personnel were deployed to control the situation.

A day after holding talks with the chief minister, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti’s national president, Yashapal Malik told PTI,”We reject the offer, it is not technically viable”. “We (Jats) can not be fooled once again, we have been fighting for our right for several years now”.

The Haryana government on Wednesday announced doubling of the quota for the EBC (Economically Backward Classes) category from 10 to 20 percent after the meeting with Jat leaders. The committee will consider all suggestions, including bringing an appropriate bill, in this regard, he had said.