To mount pressure on chief minister, who was in the city for the oath ceremony of newly elected sarpanches, Jat protestors blocked Delhi- Rohtak railway track and stopped two local trains in Ismaila village to further intensify their protest demanding reservation under the other backward class (OBC) category.
While elder Jats protested peacefully, many youths denied cooperating with police and said they were planning to block the entire state on Monday. They fenced all entry/exit points to Rohtak and did not even allow school buses to pass.
Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and agriculture minister OP Dhankar were attending the oath-taking ceremony at Chhotu Ram Polytechnic ground, around 25 km away from the protesting Jats in Sampla.
While talking to media, Khattar said, “We have made a committee to review the Jat reservation matter which would submit its report to us on March 31.”
Ignoring several questions, he said, “ Talks are on to persuade the protestors to lift the blockade.”
Dhankar had visited the protesters early in the morning and assured them that he would raise their demands in the upcoming state assembly session scheduled for March 17. However, many young protesters were unsatisfied with Dhankar’s assurance. They had called in for more support from the nearby villages and continued blocking the national highway 10.
The protesters had said in the morning that they would continue their protest till March 17 until the minister raised the matter of Jat reservation in the state assembly. They said they might go on hunger strike while their leaders were deciding further course of action.
{{/usCountry}}The protesters had said in the morning that they would continue their protest till March 17 until the minister raised the matter of Jat reservation in the state assembly. They said they might go on hunger strike while their leaders were deciding further course of action.
{{/usCountry}}While the rail blockade at Mayyar village of Hisar district was called off on Sunday, thousands of Jats had blocked the highway, suggesting that it was the only way to press their demand.
Read: Protesters block highway in Rohtak