Manohar Lal Khattar briefs Venkaiah Naidu after heckling in Rohtak

While the situation in agitation-hit Haryana showed some signs of slowly getting back to normal, Jat-dominated areas like Rohtak and Sonepat remained tense on Tuesday though there were no reports of fresh violence.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar was heckled by protesters and shown black flags when he visited Rohtak, the epicentre of the Jat quota agitation, earlier on Tuesday. Elsewhere in the state, the protesters began to lift the road and rail blockades at several places.

In New Delhi, briefing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said the situation in Haryana had improved significantly following deployment of the Army and paramilitary forces, most blocked roads had been reopened and water supply to Delhi resumed.

Mr Khattar, at his meeting in New Delhi in the evening with members of the high-level committee headed by senior Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, said the Jat quota issue was a “sensitive” one. The BJP committee is looking into the pros and cons of various options on the Jats’ demand for quotas in Central government jobs. The committee has called BJP Kurukshetra MP Rajkumar Saini, an OBC, who opposes quotas for Jats in his state and was issued a showcause notice for airing his views on the matter. The Haryana has assured agitators a bill will come up in the Assembly session starting on March 17.

Besides Mr Khattar, Haryana finance minister Capt Abhimanyu, whose house was set on fire by protesters several days back, and state agriculture minister Om Prakash Dhankar also attended the meeting.

Despite the BJP’s promises, the Jat protesters have not ended the agitation in Rohtak, Hisar, Sonepat and Jhajjar districts. Curfew was relaxed in Rohtak town, while Hisar and Kaithal districts were tense as members of the Jat and non-Jat communities looked set for a clash. The Army and paramilitary forces were on high alert in both districts.

Train movement remained affected as track inspections in affected areas was still going on after dharnas were called off. The Railways cancelled about 210 trains, including Kalka Shatabdi, Ludhiana Shatabdi and Himalayan Queen. In Hisar, the protesters lifted the dharna from the rail track at Mayyar, clearing the Delhi-Hisar rail route.

In Rohtak in the morning, an angry crowd gheraoed the CM’s vehicle even as he promised that strict action would be taken against who caused damage to public and private property. Addressing people seeking strict action against the “looters”, Mr Khattar said firm action would be taken against all who set shops and commercial establishments on fire and damaged private property. Rohtak saw huge damage to private property belonging to non-Jats. He said the state government will give full compensation to those whose property was damaged during the Jat agitation.

Later, addressing a press conference in Rohtak, he said a thorough investigation of the entire chain of events would be conducted and conspirators exposed. Referring to the audio clip which has surfaced, he said it would be thoroughly investigated. If the involvement of any person belonging to any political party or organisation is found, he would not be spared. He said those who had damaged property during the agitation would be identified and strict action would be taken against them.

The CM added strict action will be taken against officers and employees found negligent and a committee of retired officers constituted to investigate their conduct.

Mr Khattar said the state government would not disturb the 27 per cent quota meant for Other Backward Classes. The government will make a separate provision for their reservation, he added.