Thousands of upper-caste jat protesters continued their blockade of Haryana’s Jind city even as leaders of the agitation rejected fervent appeals by state director-general police Ranjeev Dalal on finding a peaceful resolution.
The jats, who took to the streets in Jind seeking a fresh CBI probe into last April’s caste violence in Mirchpur Village (Hisar), have begun demanding a special investigation team after the government conceded and handed investigations to the central agency. They also want a reversal of the Supreme Court’s orders to shift the Mirchpur Trial to Delhi and the release of 98 jat youth currently being held in Tihar Jail.
What began as a sit in to block the Delhi-Ferozepur rail line on January 15 has now spread with thousands of jat protesters cutting of rail and road access to Jind and parts of Hisar and Bhiwani. Groups of jats staged demonstrations at several places. With trees strewn across roads at several places the state run Haryana Roadways re-routed or suspended bus services passing through Jind.