Jat quota supporters block NH-58 for an hour

Residents from Duhai and neighbouring villages blocked NH-58 for at least an hour on Monday to support the Jats protesting in Haryana for reservations. They were later removed by the police.

Continuing with their stir to support the Jats protesting in Haryana for reservation in government jobs and educational institutes, residents from Duhai and neighbouring villages blocked NH-58 for at least an hour on Monday. The protesters was later removed by the police.

Protesters from Duhai and other villages blocked the highway and were later removed by the police.(Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The protesters reached the highway in Duhai around noon and blocked traffic. Armed with sticks and rods, they sat on the road for an hour, before being removed by the police. The blockade led to a long jam, with vehicles queuing up to Murad Nagar.

“We sent police personnel from Murad Nagar, Sihani Gate and Masuri to control the situation. We told the protesters that FIRs will be registered against them. We asked them why they want to escalate the matter here when the protests in Haryana are subsiding. They then submitted a memorandum and we removed them from the road by using mild force,” said Rakesh Kumar Pandey, superintendent of police.

On Sunday, hundreds of protesters from Duhai blocked rail traffic on the Ghaziabad-Meerut section, delaying trains for over two hours.

“They planned to disrupt rail traffic on Monday as well. But timely intervention by the police prevented it. We have registered an FIR against over 400 people who blocked the rail tracks on Sunday. We will register more FIRs if the agitation continues and the road or rail traffic is disrupted,” Pandey said.

The police and personnel from provincial armed constabulary and rapid response force kept a vigil at the Upper Ganga Canal water regulators in Murad Nagar. The regulators supply Ganga water to Delhi, which is facing a crisis since the Munak Canal in Haryana (also supplies water to Delhi) was seized by protesters. “The deployment at the water regulators will continue till the situation in Haryana normalises. We have deployed additional forces since some politicians are planning to go to Haryana on Tuesday,” Pandey said.

Apart from the incident at Duhai on Monday, the Ghaziabad city remained peaceful, the police said.