Jat Quota Stir- How violence started: a protest on JNU, hostel raid by police

The Jat agitation for reservation began peacefully from Sampla on February 14. The initial few days only saw road blockades and protests across the state.

Passenger trains going from Delhi to Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu have been affected. Jat community members torch motorcyles during their agitation for reservation in Rohtak. (Source: Express Photo)

It may sound far-fetched, but the JNU row played a role in triggering the recent violence in Haryana. According to reports, the violence began with a scuffle between non-Jats and lawyers in Rohtak who were protesting against “anti-nationals of JNU” on February 18.

According to police and eyewitness accounts, the Jat agitation for reservation began peacefully from Sampla on February 14. The initial few days only saw road blockades and protests across the state.

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On February 18, however, a group of about 150 men, largely belonging to the business community, began to march through town under the banner of “35 Biradari Sangharsh Samiti”. The group shouted slogans against the blockades organised by the Jats, and carried banners that said “CM sahib mat ghabrao, 35 biradari aapke saath hai (Honourable CM do not fret, 35 castes are with you)”, “Humein majboor na karo ki humein kathor kadam uthane pade (Do not force us to take a strong step).”

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The very name of the outfit points to the division between Jats and non-Jats in Haryana, which has 36 castes living in the state. The outfit, mainly comprising Punjabis, Sainis and Nais, who have businesses in Rohtak, began their march at around 2:30 pm from Bhiwani bus stand.

On the way, it found part of the road blocked by lawyers protesting on the JNU row. “The group mistook the JNU protest for pro-Jat quota blockade. There was an argument between the lawyers and the group. It soon turned into a scuffle and the outnumbered lawyers got beaten up,” said a Rohtak Police spokesperson.

“We kept telling them that it was not for Jat quota, but they wouldn’t listen. Lawyers from various castes were sitting in the protest. Sushil Juneja, Pankaj Kaushik and Ajay Goud, who have all suffered injuries, are actually Punjabis,” said Rajneesh Hooda, a lawyer who was part of the protest.

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