Haryana faces fresh Jat reservation stir as govt delays quota bill

Security has been tightened across several sensitive towns in Haryana as a 72-hour deadline issued by Jats for the state government for accepting their demand for quotas ends on Thursday.

Chandigarh: A bill promised by the Haryana government for providing reservation to the Jat community in government jobs and educational institutions has been delayed, claimed reports on Thursday.

The bill was delayed as the state authorities failed to reach a consensus on the modalities of the Jat Reservation Bill, promised by the ML Khattar-led BJP government earlier.

The government has already stated that the Jat Reservation Bill will be brought in this session, PK Das, Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Home) assured the members of the community with an appeal not to go on strike again.

Anil Vij, Minister in the Haryana government, also said that a bill promising reservation to the Jat community will be brought very soon while cautioning them to stop threatening the state machinery over the issue.

The delay in tabling the bill may trigger a backlash from the Jat community, which had threatened to go on hunger strike if their demands are not met.

Meanwhile, security had been tightened across several sensitive towns in Haryana as the 72-hour deadline issued by the Jat leaders to the state government for accepting their demand for quotas ends today.

The Jat leaders had threatened to resume agitation in case the BJP-led Haryana government does not meet their demands by March 17.

Consequently, the ML Khattar government in Haryana had sought paramilitary forces from the Centre to be deployed in sensitive areas.

On Wednesday, IGP, Rohtak Range, Sanjay Kumar said, ''Additional police forces have also been arranged from within the state.''

"We have made adequate police security arrangements. We have adequate force and we are deploying it accordingly," he said.

However, he refused to shed light on how many police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order in case Jat leaders resume their agitation.

Haryana police were criticised for its "failure" to prevent and control violence during the Jat agitation last month, in which 30 people lost their life.

The then IGP Rohtak Shrikant Jadhav was suspended by Haryana government.

Several districts including Rohtak, the epicentre of Jat agitation, Jhajjar, Kaithal, Jind, Sonipat, Bhiwani had witnessed violence by arsonists and unruly mob.

The influential Jat community led by All India Jat Sangharsh Samiti had threatened to relaunch their agitation if the state's BJP government did not meet their demands by March 17.

Jats are demanding 10 percent quota in jobs and educational institutions, besides withdrawal of FIRs registered against the protesters, compensation to those killed during the stir and action against BJP MP from Kurukshetra Raj Kumar Saini for his "anti-Jat" reservation stand.

Malik had said the state government must bring a Bill in the ongoing budget session of the Assembly to ensure reservation for Jats.