Chandigarh, June 5 : Road and railway traffic remained normal and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere on Sunday as a section of the Jat community renewed their agitation for reservation in various parts of Haryana.
Home Secretary Ram Niwas said that the agitation remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the state.
In many districts, no dharna (sit-in) was staged, while at some places where the protesters sat on dharna, they submitted the memorandums to the Deputy Commissioner concerned and lifted the protest, he added.
“The traffic was normal as neither any highway nor any railway line was blocked by the protesters.
“Some people did try to add fuel to the fire on social media and cases have been registered against them. The government is maintaining vigil constantly and video recording was being done to identify those who would indulge in vitiating peaceful atmosphere of the state,” he said.
Noting that some anti-social elements were trying to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state, he urged people not to be misled by rumour-mongers.
Assuring Jat leaders that the state government supported their demand for reservation, Ram Niwas said: “The state government is vigorously pursuing the case of reservation (for Jats and five other communities) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.”
Additional Director General of Police Mohammad Akil also said that law and order were under control in the state on Sunday.
The high court had recently stayed a notification of the state government granting reservation to Jats and five other communities. The Haryana assembly had passed a legislation giving quota to these communities.
At least nine out of 21 districts in Haryana were on high alert on Sunday as a section of Jat community renewed their agitation for reservation. The districts on high alert include Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Jind, Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Panipat and Kaithal.
The Jat community has served a 15-day ultimatum to the Haryana government for implementation of reservation.
The call for the renewed agitation has been given by the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), whose leader Yashpal Malik assured that the protests would remain peaceful.
Reports said the agitators, who started their agitation in rural areas instead of towns this time, were holding dharnas at different places in Rohtak, Hisar, Jind and some other districts.
Ram Niwas said that 55 companies of paramilitary forces were stationed to deal with the agitation.
Paramilitary forces and Haryana Police personnel were deployed at sensitive areas, including national and state highways and railway tracks to prevent blockade.
The administration in Sonipat and Rohtak districts had banned all internet services.
Haryana saw the worst violence in its five decades of existence in February during the Jat agitation for reservation.
As many as 30 persons were killed, 320 others injured and property worth crores was destroyed during the agitation. The state remained paralysed for nearly 10 days.
