Jats threaten to walk out of talks

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 22

Changing tack a day after the Haryana Advocate General office gave negative opinion on withdrawal of cases of arson and violence being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Jat protesters now want cases registered against non-Jats for similar crimes and hinted that further talks with the government-appointed committee were doubtful.

All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) leader Yashpal Malik said Jat representatives had raised the demand of registration of cases against non-Jats for vanadalism during last year’s pro-reservation violence with the committee led by Chief Secretary DS Dhesi.

“Did our people not die in the agitation? Were our dharamshalas not vandalised by BJP workers? The government turned a blind eye to the tyranny unleashed by its workers while our people were booked indiscriminately. Let all those who have gone scot-free be booked and we will be satisfied. Either this or all our cases should be dropped. The government has to be fair to us,” Malik stated.

Sources in the government maintained that cases for the 2016 violence had been registered on merit. They said arrests had been made and trials were on in instances of vandalism and arson reported from the Jat dharamshala and other places being quoted by the AIJASS.

Further, if those responsible for the death of the two Jats were “untraced”, culprits responsible for four deaths of non-Jats, too, were untraced, they said.

“On an average, cases have been registered in an 80:20 ratio between Jats and non-Jats,” the sources claimed, adding that nobody was booked for vandalism of Rao Tula Ram and BR Ambedkar’s statues.

At the first meeting with the officers’ committee held on February 11, the Jat delegation had cited inaction against non-Jats, allegedly BJP workers, to press for dropping of all police cases.

Hinting that talks with the government were headed nowhere, Malik said the AIJASS was no longer keen on talking to a “toothless and headless” committee with no powers.

“Whenever any demand is raised at the meeting or any negotiations are held, these officers take turns to go out of the room, call the political bosses and come back to us. Since the committee has no authority, the best way out is talking to political leaders directly,” Malik said.

A few members of the AIJASS had reservations about a certain officer continuing on the committee and claimed that they were treated shabbily by him while others did not intervene. The added that they had conveyed this to Malik and were not in favour of talks till the officer was replaced.