No agitation in Haryana till July 21: Jat group

Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought the state government's reply by July 21 on Jat quota reservation

The Jat Sangharsh Samiti on Wednesday said the community will not protest for quota in government jobs and education institutions till July 21, the date by which the Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought the state government's reply.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Jat community under the leadership of samiti president Ram Kataria.

Samiti general secretary R.S. Dahiya said the decision on the postponement of the protest till the court hearing on July 21 was unanimous.

The high court had stayed the operation of the law extending reservation to the Jats and five other castes in Haryana under the Backward Class category after petitioner Murari Lal Gupta moved a public interest litigation.

A two-judge bench of Justices S.S. Saron and Gurmit Ram issued notice to the Haryana government to reply by July 21.

Earlier, on May 29, the Akhil Bharatiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti announced resumption of their agitation in Haryana from June 5.

"We will hold 'Jat Nyay' rally in Haryana from June 5 as promises made by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar have not been fulfilled," ABJASS president Yashpal Malik had told reporters in Delhi.

The Haryana Assembly had unanimously passed the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Bill, 2016, on March 29.

Six castes of Jats, Jat Sikhs, Rors, Bishnois, Tyagis and Muslim Jats were included in the list of Backward Classes, by bifurcating it and creating an additional Block C.

There are 77 castes already covered under Backward Classes Block A and B.

The government move had came before the April 3 deadline set by the Jats, who had threatened a violent agitation if their demand for reservation was not met.

Meanwhile, the government has braced itself for resumption of the Jat stir. Seven companies of paramilitary force have been deployed in over six Jat-dominated districts.

During the quota reservation violence in February, at least 30 persons had died and property worth hundereds of crores of rupees was destroyed.