Fresh Jat violence erupts, order to clear blockades

Venkaiah panel to meet Khattar today

Fresh violence erupted in Rohtak and Sonepat in Haryana on Monday as Jat protesters continued the blockade 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 and violence, curfew was reimposed in five villages of Hansi subdivision, Hissar city limits and Kaithal. Curfew was imposed in five villages of the district and shoot orders issued after a faceoff between Jats and other community members.

The Centre, meanwhile, directed security forces Monday 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 the Jat community, he refused to give details and said the state government will not disturb the 27 per cent reservation quota meant for Other Backward Classes.

The state government also decided to give an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakhs to next of kin of those killed in the agitation and a job for a member of the family of the deceased. Also, no false case would be registered against anyone.

Till the time of going to press, 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.

Amid the grim scenario, there was a bit of good news for residents of Delhi as the authorities claimed the water supply to Delhi from Haryana was likely to be restored fully by Tuesday after the security forces took control of the Munak Canal and evicted all Jat protesters from there.

Top government sources said 35 per cent of the canal, located 100 km from Delhi in Sonepat, Haryana, had been operationalised during the day as protesters had damaged the supply line, thereby disrupting normal flow of water.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the situation at the Munak Canal was “okay now”. He said: “As per my information, the place from where the water is diverted is being properly guarded and the Army is helping the local administration,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

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 prevailing situation in the state with top officials, including national security adviser Ajit Doval, Army Chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag and others. The home minister was given a detailed presentation by senior officials on the violence in the agitation and the blockades put up by the Jats, official sources said.

The Centre had earlier directed the Haryana government to take all possible steps to curtail the agitation as the Jats squatting on highways, canals, state roads and railway tracks had affected the traffic flow and water supply to the national capital by damaging the canals and digging up the highways, causing a total breakdown of law and order.

As many as 72 companies of Central paramilitary forces along with three Army columns were placed at the state government’s disposal. These include 6,900 paramilitary personnel (69 companies) — 4,500 CRPF personnel are part of this — and more forces have been put on standby. In addition, 13 CRPF companies and some Army columns have been exclusively deployed around the canals where the Jat agitators created a lot of damage and destruction.

Sources said the Army Chief and the home ministry’s top brass held a meeting late Sunday night to chalk out the blueprint for deployment around the canal network to prevent a situation where the water supply to the capital and other affected areas get badly hit. A detailed report by the CRPF revealed that the Jats used JCBs to dig roads and highways 3-4 feet deep and 4-6 feet wide, besides deflating tyres of heavy load carrier vehicles on the Delhi- Revari-Jhaggar highway. CRPF jawans were tasked with repairing the damaged roads on a war footing to allow troop movement. An official even likened the deep cuts on the roads to the way Naxalites destroy road networks in the Maoist insurgency-hit areas.

A slackened response by the Haryana government is being held responsible for the agitation spiralling out of control, with security officials saying “the government had reports the agitation was brewing, but its response came late”.