JOIN USJat agitation spilled over to many parts of Delhi from neighbouring Haryana on Sunday as agitating community members held demonstrations at various places, leading to severe disruption of traffic on several roads.
The police said the situation was being brought under control even as demonstrations were held at several places, including Nangloi, Madhuban Chowk, Narela, Najafgarh.
“Traffic on Tikri border and Sindhu border to and fro Haryana was completely blocked due to the agitation on the side of Haryana. However, Rajokri road was open, which worked as a contact route between Delhi and Haryana,’’ said Muktesh Chander, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic). The protests led to diversion of traffic with several roads leading to neighboring Haryana being blocked by protesters. Heavy police deployment was done for handling the demonstrators.
“Thousands of vehicles were stuck in northwest Delhi’s Madhuban chowk for few hours, as protesting people of the Jat community blocked a portion of the road. Traffic police had to divert the traffic through alternate routes which cleared the jam after a massive effort,’’ said a senior police officer.
Similar scenes were witnessed in outer Delhi’s Narela and southwest Delhi’s Nazafgarh areas.
In Narela, hundreds of people came on road in an attempt to disrupt the traffic flow, while in Nazafgarh, reports of burning tyres being thrown on roads were reported. Three low-floor DTC buses were reported to have been damaged in Nazafgarh by angry protestors. Outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala, and Bawana Chowk also saw massive traffic jam due to the ongoing stir by the Jat community. The Delhi Police had beefed up security, anticipating the quota agitation to spread to the capital, after receiving several calls from different areas about groups gathering in connection with the agitation in Haryana.
However, in an unexpected turn of events, the police were caught off guard when in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area several agitating people blocked a crucial road joining Chattarpur with the Indira Gandhi International Airport, leading to traffic jam.
Several police and traffic police personnel were rushed to deal with the agitating protestors.
On Saturday, roads like NH-8, Aya Nagar Link Road, Delhi-Faridabad Road and GT Karnal road, through which maximum supplies are transported, were completely stalled for nearly four hours as protesters parked their tractors and trucks on them. This led to traffic jams on Ring Road and Mathura Road in south Delhi.