Even as the Haryana Government made a last-ditch attempt to avert trouble by inviting Jat leaders for talks on Friday with a promise of getting a Bill on reservation passed during the ongoing Budget Session, the Centre is monitoring the situation closely.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday ordered Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar to be alert and ensure that the law and order situation does not go out of control in the State the way it did during last month’s stir.
The Jat community has been demanding quota in jobs. The Haryana Government has already accepted the demand to include the community in the Special Backward Class (SBC). As many as 30 people were killed and over 200 injured in the State last month and property worth more than `20,000 crore damaged during the nine days of violent agitation.
Haryana is again on the edge with the 72-hour deadline set by Jats for resuming their quota agitation coming to an end on Thursday night. The Centre dispatched 3,000 paramilitary personnel to Haryana to ensure peace and also deployed another 300 personnel to guard the Munak canal as Jat protesters had damaged the canal, located about 100-km from Delhi, disrupting water supply to Delhi for several days last month.
“All arrangements have been made for Haryana and forces have been sent. Additional paramilitary forces have been deployed in all sensitive places, some spots on highways and for Munak canal,” a senior Home Ministry official said.
The authorities also imposed prohibitory orders banning the assembly of five or more people in Gurgaon.
The ban under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure also prohibits people from carrying weapons. The order will be effective till May 15.
A senior police official said that since Gurgaon was home to foreigners as well as corporate workers, “the city needs extra care and better security coordination among the civil administration and police”.
Deputy Commissioner Tl Satyaprakash on Wednesday issued orders to appoint 23 duty Magistrates for various areas around the city.
Over 1,000 people were booked in Gurgaon under various sections of the Indian Penal Code during last month’s Jat agitation. However, no one was arrested.
Meanwhile, in a bid to nip trouble in the bud, the Khattar Government invited Jat leaders for talks on Friday. The Jats said they will take a decision on the future course of action after holding the meeting with Haryana Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police in the afternoon.
“We have been invited by the Government for talks tomorrow at Chandigarh. Till then we will not resume our agitation,” All India Jat Aarakshan Sanghursh Samiti president Yashpal Malik said.
“After meeting the top officials of Haryana the next course of action will be taken,” he added.
Malik said that the Samiti will organize meetings on March 19 and 20 throughout the State and after that, meeting of units of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi will be held at Nangloi in Delhi on March 21 to
discuss their demands.
Bracing for the stir, the State Government deployed paramilitary forces and police in sensitive districts and they carried out Flag Marches in various places to instill confidence among people of the
State. Paramilitary forces are being deployed in sensitive areas like Rohtak and Jhajjar districts, which were the worst-affected during the first phase of the agitation last month.
In the evening, Khattar said the Jat reservation Bill may be brought during the current Assembly session “on any day.”
In a brief statement, he said, “Jat Reservation Bill is being drafted after consideration of every aspect and discussion with all stakeholders. This Bill may be introduced in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha on any day during the ongoing Budget Session.”
Finance Minister Abhimanya earlier said, “We are sure that during this session, this Bill will be passed.”
He told reporters that it is taking time to draft the Bill as the Government wants to make it sure that the new law does not get entangled in a legal quagmire.”
He asked Jat organisations to give their suggestions to draft this for their benefit instead of giving ultimatum on resuming agitation.