Hisar (Haryana):
The agitation by sections of the Jat community in parts of Haryana near Hisar has reached a crucial juncture with the protesters setting a deadline of 1 pm today for the authorities to respond to their demand for talks.
The protesters have been blocking rail and road traffic for the past several days and one protester lost his life in a clash with the police earlier this week.
"The government should order release of all those Jat protesters who had been taken into custody two days ago," Jitender Chattar of All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti had said yesterday.
He said they will give the government, time till today afternoon to act after which they will intensify their stir and block all the roads to Delhi and other parts besides launching their agitation in other parts of the country.
The police, meanwhile, says they will maintain peace at any cost. "I have 18 companies of paramilitary forces. Twelve more companies will come to me in the next 12 hours. We are determined to maintain peace in this area at any cost," said Haryana DGP Ranjeev Dalal.
Hisar, located 155 km from the national capital, had virtually come under a siege of the protesters demanding OBC quota. Meanwhile, Delhi-Hisar highway which had remained blocked on Wednesday opened to road traffic. The district administration had on Thursday ordered closure of all educational institutions for three days.
Security forces had even conducted a flag march in Hisar. At the nearby Garhi village, mobs smashed window panes of trucks triggering a major jam on national highway. The protesters had placed tree trunks on roads at some places.
Jats are seeking reservation in government jobs for the community in OBC category and have accused Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of "going back on promises" in this regard. A police post and a judge's car were torched by the protesters on Tuesday. They had also stormed the premises of Power Grid Corporation following the death of a youth in alleged police firing, prompting authorities to seek the Army's help.
The protesters had placed the body of the youth on the tracks demanding action against the police personnel who allegedly opened fire and also release of the protesters. Haryana government has accused opposition INLD, which along with BJP stalled the assembly proceedings over the issue yesterday, of instigating villagers in Hisar to continue with the stir for its "vested interests".
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, meanwhile, has maintained the government's doors were always open for talks.
Meanwhile, Suresh Koth, a Khap leader, said "we will not cremate Sandeep till our leaders are released by the police."
The jats from nearby villages again started gathering. Deputy Commissioner Amit Aggarwal said "twenty four companies of para-military forces would soon reach Hisar." He appealed to the protesters not to indulge in arson and violence and clear all roads and railway lines.