Prepared for Jat agitation, says Haryana Police

With the Punjab and Haryana High Court staying the Haryana government notification granting reservation in jobs and admission to Jats and five other communities and the Jat community threatening to re-launch its agitation from June 5, the Haryana Police on Friday said that it was fully prepared to deal with any agitation.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, Mohammed Akil said that the state police was fully prepared to deal with the agitation by the Jats, announced to commence from June 5.

Responding to media queries on the threat given by a section of the Jats to restart the agitation, he said: "Police would try to make the protesters understand not to resort to violence. But if they do not understand, police would use force against such protesters, without any consideration of caste or community."

As many as 30 people were killed and 320 injured and property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was destroyed during the violent agitation earlier this year.

Property and assets worth thousands of crores were damaged and destroyed as the agitation took a violent turn and paralysed the state for nearly 10 days.

The Haryana government's recent notification according 10 percent job reservation on Jat and five other communities was put on hold by the high court on Thursday in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Bhiwani resident Murari Lal Gupta.

The Haryana government on May 13 notified the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in services and admission in educational institutions) Act, 2016, to provide reservation in services and admission in educational institutions to persons belonging to backward classes in the state, including the politically dominant Jat community.

The act provides for 10 percent job reservation for Class III and IV posts and six percent reservation in Class I and II posts to the Jat, Jat Sikhs, Ror, Bishnoi, Tyagi, Mulla Jat or Muslim Jat in Schedule III.

--IANS

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