Curfew in parts of violence-hit Hisar, army help sought

HISAR - Curfew was imposed in many areas in Haryana’s Hisar district Tuesday after members of the Jat community seeking reservation in government jobs and educational institutions went on the rampage, setting vehicles and buildings on fire. The army has been called in to assist in maintaining law and order.

Leaders of the agitators threatened to take their protest right up to Delhi and disrupt the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi Oct 3-14 if their demands, including giving them other backward class (OBC) status, were not immediately accepted.

The district administration sought the help of the army to control the situation after the violence erupted again, following Monday’s clashes when one person was killed and several injured.

“Curfew has been imposed in all sensitive areas of Hisar district and the army has been called in to assist the district administration in maintaining law and order and ensure safety of life and property,” a state government spokesperson said in Chandigarh Tuesday.

Hisar District Magistrate Yudhvir Singh Khyalia said this had been done as a preventive measure.

The Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led state government has come under fire for not being able to deal with the agitation of the Jat community effectively. The Jats, mostly based in rural Haryana, are a politically dominant community in the state.

The Haryana police, which clashed with the protesters Monday, leaving one youth dead and nearly 50 people injured, did not take any action Tuesday to stop the protesters as they went on a rampage.

In Barwala town near here, scores of protesters surrounded two Jat leaders after they were returning from a meeting with a representative of the state government. However, the two were escorted out by the police.

The agitators resorted to violence, setting some buildings and vehicles on fire. Police officials said the mob attacked a public sector bank building, an ATM and a cotton mill.

They also set a few vehicles on fire, including an oil tanker and a fire tender. Two buses of the Haryana Roadways were also set on fire by the protesters near Surrewala chowk. In all, 25 vehicles were set on fire.

The Haryana Roadways has suspended all bus operations in the violence-affected areas.

The mob also blocked the National Highway (NH) No.10 connecting Hisar with Delhi and another highway connecting Hisar with state capital Chandigarh, nearly 300 km away.

All roads leading to Hisar from other parts of Haryana have been blocked by the protesters and the police.

The protesters also demanded that Subhash Yadav, the superintendent of police (SP) of Hisar who was removed from his post late Monday and was even booked for murder, be arrested immediately.

The protesters even attacked mediapersons and their vehicles at some places.