CHANDIGARH: The All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti has decided to hold a protest on March 2 in Delhi after which they will submit a memorandum to the President Pranab Mukherjee seeking reservation in education and government jobs. They have also announced to gherao the Parliament, for which the date has not yet been decided. The demonstrations on Sunday on account of Balidan Diwas remained peaceful with the protestors steering clear of roads and railway tracks.
The registration of volunteers for the protests for reservation will begin on February 21. It has also been decided that the protests will now be spread from the present 19 districts to other parts of the state including Kurukshetra, Panchkukla, Karnal, Mewat, Dadri, Panipat, Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal and Jind.
The outfit has also announced decision to observe Balidan Diwas every year on February 19 and Black Day on February 26 to protest the state government’s ‘divisive policies’. AIJASS has urged the elected representatives of all political parties to hand over the letters of their support by February 27.
In a letter, AIJASS president Yashpal Malik asked the Jats not to pay electricity and water bills from March onwards in order to ‘bring to their notice, the displeasure of Jats with the government’.
The epicenter of the protests last year--Rohtak--was turned into a fortress this time with barricades set up by the Central Reserved Police Force, Rapid Action Force, and state police personnel at every entry point. Some twenty companies of paramilitary forces were deployed in the town.
“The Jats of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh will take part in the protests on March 2 in Delhi. The day has not yet been decided for the proposed plan to gherao the Parliament. The date will be announced on March 2, and it is most likely to fall after the Holi festival. The Jats of Haryana, UP and Delhi will take part in it,'' said Yashpal.
Sunday’s protests were peaceful and had about thirty lakh people participate at all the dharnas held across the state, he added.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the protests have been peaceful and violence were not reported from anywhere across the state. He added that talks would be held with the Jat leaders on February 20, and their demands would be fulfilled within the scope of the law. He also expressed hope that the matter would soon be resolved.
Mobile internet services remained suspended in Rohtak and Sonepat on Sunday. However, the broadband services were said to be operational. The authorities closed the Panipat-Rohtak road for traffic, leaving the Rohtak-Jassia-Gohana stretch free for vehicles travelling to and from the dharna site in Jassia. The toll was suspended at the Makdauli toll plaza on the Rohtak-Panipat road.