Gurgaon: Jat leaders assure a symbolic peaceful protest

Barring Gurgaon and Mewat, the Jat community will launch a statewide agitation from Sunday to press for reservations in state and Central government jobs, and six other related demands related to last year’s agitation.

Barring Gurgaon and Mewat, the Jat community will launch a statewide agitation from Sunday to press for reservations in state and Central government jobs, and six other related demands related to last year’s agitation. The community will also demand action against BJP parliamentarian Rajkumar Saini for making inflammatory statements against the community in the last two years.

Yashpal Malik (second from right), the president of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangarsh Samiti with other leaders at a press conference in Gurgaon on Saturday. The leaders said a demonstration will be held at Lt Atul Kataria Chowk from 10 am on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangarsh Samiti which is spearheading the agitation asserted that the community members will go on indefinite strikes in their respective districts in support of their seven demands but will remain peaceful.

Gurgaon, however, will witness only a day long peaceful demonstration at Lt Atul Kataria Chowk on Sunday from 10 am and a memorandum will be submitted to Gurgaon deputy commissioner Hardip Singh and commissioner of police Sandeep Khirwar.

Residents can be relieved as the samiti said Gurgaon, Faridabad and Panchkula will only witness symbolic protest because of their urban character. “There are chances that protests get out of hand in urban settings as there is a large floating population and as such, the focus will be on peaceful protests across rural Haryana,” Yashpal Malik, president of the samiti, said, while addressing the media in Gurgaon on Saturday.

The samiti said peaceful but indefinite protests and dharnas will commence on Sunday and continue till the demands are met. “We want the government to deliver on the promise of reservations in Cental government and state jobs, release of youth arrested during last year’s agitation and withdrawal of cases registered against the youth,” Malik said.

In February last year, the Jat agitation had turned violent leading to at least 30 deaths, and loss of public and private property worth hundreds of crores. Rohtak and adjoining districts had witnessed the maximum amount of violence and the government was forced to call in the Army to normalise the situation.

On Saturday, the Jat leaders also accused the Haryana government of misleading the public and claimed that it had the support of 98 khaps (clans). They also said the Prakash Singh report on Jat agitation should be scrutinised and those officials who failed to maintain and law and order and instigated violence should be penalised. “BJP MP Rajkumar Saini has been making inflammatory statements against the Jat community and action must be taken against him,” Malik said

The Samiti is also demanding that martyrs of last year’s agitation be given jobs and those injured be given compensation and jobs.