Even after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Thursday that the government is ready to give reservation to the Jat community under the Other Backward Classes category, protestors continued to wreck havoc in the state and outside it on Saturday, NDTV reported. The Jat leaders rejected Khattar's request to call off the agitation, saying they will hold protests till the legislation to this effect is passed.
In the wake of escalated protests, the Gurgaon Police has imposed Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code for 60 days to restrict protestors from assembling in the district, Hindustan Times reported. The Times of India reported that the Maruti-Suzuki plant in Manesar has suspended production temporarily as a precautionary measure.
As many as 10 trains were cancelled in Jammu as protests reached the state. Members of the community in Delhi joined in the protests and demonstrated at the Delhi University north campus and blocked the National Highway 1 that leads to Haryana. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke to Khattar and Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the situation in Delhi. Kejriwal said that both have assured him of help from the Army to safeguard the Munak canal in Haryana, which has been a bone of contention between the states for over a decade now.
The army had to use choppers to enter Rohtak on Saturday as protestors had dug up roads leading to the town. Media reports said that some protestors entered a girls' hostel in Maharishi Dayanand University. Buses, cars and a petrol pump was set ablaze by agitators in the town. Protestors set a railway station in Jind on fire, following which curfew was imposed in the area. The army took out a flag march, a show of security and peace, in Bhiwani on Saturday morning and said that the situation was under control in the city, where Section 144 was imposed on Thursday to restrict the assembly of protestors. Three people were killed in police firing in the state on Friday. Schools remained closed in at least eight districts on Saturday.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!