Jat reservation issue: Internet services blocked in Haryana after clashes

Services have been blocked so that rumours are not spread, said police officials

With the Jat community agitation spreading in Haryana, state authorities have blocked internet services in the affected districts.

Internet services, including 2G and 3G, in the worst affected districts of Rohtak, Sonipat and Jhajjar have been since midnight, officials said here on Friday.

"This has been done so that rumours are not spread as this could lead to the situation getting out of hand," a senior Haryana police official said.

Jat protesters clashed with security forces and security forces in Rohtak town on Thursday evening when the police tried to remove the blockades put up by the protesters.

The protesters attacked with stones and bricks. A police vehicle was also damaged in the clash.

"Some roads are blocked by the protesters. We are trying to persuade them to remove the road blockades. We have requisitioned para-military forces and we are prepared to tackle the situation," Saurabh Singh, district police chief of Rohtak, the worst affected by the agitation, told media.

Life remained paralysed in most parts of Rohtak, Jhajjar and some other districts of the state as the agitation entered the sixth day on Friday.

The Jats are demanding reservation for the community in government jobs and educational institutions.

The Haryana government has called for an all-party meeting in Chandigarh on Friday to resolve the issue.