Jat agitation: Virender Singh, aide of ex-Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, surrenders before Rohtak court

Rohtak: Professor Virender Singh, a close aide of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was booked for sedition and criminal conspiracy on charges of inciting violence during the Jat agitation, on Thursday surrendered before a district court here.

An audio tape of a telephone conversation, allegedly between Virender Singh and Khap leader Man Singh ​Dalal, surfaced recently in which Virender Singh is purportedly telling Dalal to activate youths in Sirsa district to take part in the Jat reservation agitation.

Virender Singh was the political advisor to Hooda for nearly 10 years (2005-14) when the latter was Haryana's chief minister. He is considered very close to Hooda.

Meanwhile, the Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana has stepped up security in many towns as the deadline issued by the Jat community to accept their demand for quotas ends today.

On Monday, Jat community leaders had threatened to resume their agitation for quotas which saw widespread violence across the state last month.

Last month, the Haryana police was severely criticised for its "failure" to prevent and control the violence that swept the state, in which 30 people were killed and over 200 were injured.