Haryana stares at another Jat stir

Jat community representatives in Haryana have announced another round of agitation beginning June 5, prompting the state government to deal with the impending crisis with an iron hand, unlike last time when there was collapse of the law and order machinery.

Unwilling to take chances, the state police on Friday registered a case of sedition against prominent Jat leader Yashpal Malik, the chief of the Jat Sangharsh Samiti, and over 100 others for threatening peace and communal harmony in Haryana. The government did this saying these persons were instigating the community to launch fresh bout of Jat quota agitation in Haryana. On Thursday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh had issued an interim order staying the Jat quota bill approved by the state government.

While the court decision will have a bearing on the nature and form of the stir, Jat leaders say they are also seeking the release of protesters who were arrested by the police during the Jat agitation in February this year. As many as 31 lives were lost and 320 were left injured in clashes between police and protesters.