Jat reservation protests escalated after talks with the government failed to forge a truce.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Manohar Parrikar, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley reviewed the violence in Haryana on Friday as Jat protesters demanding reservation in jobs and education set fire to a minister's home and a mall, damaged property and burnt police vehicles. They even looted guns from an armoury. Mobs blocked highways and rail tracks. Big traffic jams were reported in Gurgaon.
Here are the latest developments:
Hundreds of protesters broke into the home of state Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu and set it on fire. The minister was in Chandigarh and his family had been moved to safety earlier.
The protesters set the RN Mall in Rohtak on fire and even looted guns and ammunition from a private armoury.
The army had been called in to the eight worst affected areas including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Bhiwani, Karnal and Hisar.
Three people were killed in police firing. "Someone in the mob fired from a gun and the security personnel fired in self defence," said Haryana police chief YP Singhal.
Protesters reportedly took some policemen captive and moved in a large crowd targeting police and private vehicles, home and offices, and even toll plazas. As roads and train tracks were blocked, the state government stopped bus services and over 500 trains in north India were affected.
Mobile internet services were blocked in Rohtak on Thursday as the nearly week-long agitation escalated. The police said a "leaderless mob" was moving around in the town.
Schools have shut down in affected towns and the supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other commodities has been hit because of the highway blockade.
Jats in Haryana have been demanding OBC or Other Backward Caste quota in government jobs and education like their counterparts in five other states.
Just before the 2014 election, the UPA government bypassed a central panel to bring in quota for Jats in Haryana, but the Supreme Court struck it down last year.
Chief Minister ML Khattar has met opposition parties and Jat leaders to discuss ways of ending the crisis, including bringing a quota law.
