Jat quota stir: Army called in; shoot at sight orders, agitators loot gun shop
Jat quota stir: Army called in; shoot at sight orders, agitators loot gun shop
One protestor was killed in Rohtak when the BSF personnel opened fire in self-defence after someone from the mob fired and injured a BSF jawan, said Haryana DGP Yashpal Singhal.

Army was called in on Friday in nine districts of Haryana and curfew was imposed in two districts along with shoot-at-sight orders after one person was killed. Several others were injured during the Jat stir for quota which turned violent with mobs resorting to widespread arson.

One protestor was killed in Rohtak when the BSF personnel opened fire in self-defence after someone from the mob fired and injured a BSF jawan, said Haryana DGP Yashpal Singhal.

He was rushed to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak where he was reportedly declared brought dead.

The Jat quota stir is likely to witness a fierce battle in coming days after the agitating community members on Friday night raided a gun shop - Bharat Gun Shop - in Rohtak and fled away with large numbers of arms and ammunitions.

There were reports stating the Jat leaders were gearing up for a full fledged battle with the state as well as central forces to press their demand with no indication of backing off from their quota stand in government departments.

With the deteriorating law and order situation, nearly 3300 paramilitary personnel rushed to Haryana to join Army in restoring peace in the state. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called up Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and assured of all possible help as the Jat quota stir turned violent on Friday.

The Home minister appealed to the people to maintain peace and order and stressed on the need for discussion and dialogue.

"I appeal to my brothers and sisters of Haryana to maintain peace and order in the state," Singh said in a tweet.

Earlier, in the day, mobs held some policemen captive besides attacking the house of state's Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu.

They also targeted police vehicles, buildings housing offices, including Toll Plazas.

Since the situation was going out of control, army has been called in for deployment in eight worst-affected districts - Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind, Bhiwani, Hissar, Kaithal, Panipat and Sonipat.

The agitation, which has been going on for last few days, escalated and turned violent soon after an all-party meeting held by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar issued an appeal for calling it off.

The protesters rejected the appeal even as Khattar gave an assurance that a solution will be worked out to extend reservation to the community.

The mob blocked the traffic and the National Highway (NH 10) was also completely blocked. Hundreds of trucks with food supplies and LPG cylinders were stranded.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal blamed the BJP playing divisive politics and asked the protesters to maintain peace and calm.

Initially the state police tried to resolve the issue through dialogue with the Jat leaders. However, repeated pleas to the agitators went unheard. They burnt police vehicles, blocked traffic in most parts of the state.

Road and rail routes were blocked around Rohtak town. The Rohtak-Delhi railway track has also been blocked and road transport services were badly hit.

Speaking to the reporters, Yashpal Malik, national president of All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti, said, "We will continue to raise our voice against the state government against the indifferent attitude towards us. Our agitation has spread across 19 out of 21 districts. The remaining two districts are Panchkula and Yamunanagar and we will spread our agitations in these districts soon."

Internet and mobile SMS services have been suspended indefinitely by authorities in Rohtak district in the wake of protests.

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