State on alert for Jats’ Delhi march

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18

The state was put on alert today in the run-up to the March 20 Parliament gherao call given by Jat protesters. Paramilitary forces were deployed and Internet services suspended in all sensitive districts of the state. The government also issued directions to petrol pump owners to ration the sale of fuel to tractors and suspended the sale of liquor as a precautionary measure.

Amidst all this build-up, All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) president Yashpal Malik, interestingly, left the state to return to his native place in Uttar Pradesh “to prepare for the protest”. He would not come to Haryana before or on March 20 and proceed directly to Delhi.

Sources in the Home Department said that eight districts, including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Jind and Kaithal, had been declared sensitive and 124 companies of paramilitary forces fanned out across the districts.

The government has not only suspended the Internet services to curb misuse of the social media, but also clamped Section 144 around railway tracks and national and state highways to prevent assembly of more than five persons. The government has also issued directions to petrol pump owners to ration the sale of diesel to the tractor-trailers and imposed restrictions on ferrying of passengers on the tractor-trailers and suspended the sale of liquor.

According to information, petrol pump owners have been asked to restrict the fuel supply to 10 litres per tractor after taking down its number and other such details.

Though the AIJASS underplayed Malik’s absence right before the protest, Jat leader Ashok Balhara in Rohtak said that Haryana’s Jats would choke Delhi, while Malik would lead the UP team. “Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar deliberately left Delhi without meeting us and the agreement he and his minister Ram Bilas Sharma are quoting was only points that we wanted to take up with the CM,” he said even as Yashpal Malik stated that there would be no more talks with the government .

“We have been betrayed and all talks with the Haryana Government are meaningless from now on. We are now all set to show our strength in Delhi which will become the venue of our dharnas. In Haryana, women will take over the dharnas and carry these forward,” said Malik.

He maintained that Sharma’s word was not acceptable to the Jats since he had entered into an “agreement” last year, too, after the agitation and that was denied by the CM in the Assembly. “We did not want to repeat that mistake and wanted the CM to address a joint press conference. Now, let them face the consequences,” he stated.

The government said that it was prepared for any eventuality though it was still keen that the Jats should come back for talks.