Hooda fasts for peace

Updated At : 06:35 AM Feb 22, 2016 IST

Former CM Bhupinder Hooda with CLP leader Kiran Choudhry during a fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday. PTI

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday alleged the Haryana government's "caste politics" was responsible for the raging violence in the state and asked it and the Centre to desist from their "divide and rule" tactics. The party also made an appeal to people for peace with former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and a number of other party leaders sitting on a fast here, urging for peace and amity. Accompanied by PCC Chief Ashok Tanwar, CLP leader Kiran Chowdhar, former Union Minister Kumari Selja, a number of party MLAs and MPs and former lawmakers, Hooda began his fast at Jantar Mantar.

Jat protesters lift road blockades in Y’nagar

Yamunanagar: Jat protesters lifted road blockades following talks with the district administration at the Mini Secretariat today. SS Phulia, Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Arun Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), appealed the members of Jat community to maintain peace and harmony. SS Phulia (DC) said jat leaders had agreed to lift road blockades and peace committees had been formed to help restore normalcy. TNS

Agitators agree to lift blockades in Palwal

Palwal: Jat protesters agreed to lift the blockades from the National Highway-2 and the railway tracks in the district on Sunday evening. The highway witnessed long queues of vehicles on both sides. The police claimed that a large number of vehicles were diverted on the alternative routes. The protesters decided to block the rail traffic at the Asawati railway station in the district, but ultimately gathered at Hodal and blocked the tracks, resulting in cancellation of all trains on the Delhi-Mathura section. TNS

Ex-CM aide audio row

Chandigarh: Even as former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda began his “peace” fast at Delhi, his political adviser, Prof Virender, was caught on audio saying the “protest was doing well in their area” while nothing much was happening in the “Deswali belt”. In a conversation with a person he refers to as “kaptan saab”, Prof Virender is allegedly claiming that though the protest is “doing well in our area” (Rohtak), he seems to be allegedly suggesting the INLD in the Deswali belt, in general, and Sirsa, in particular, is not reporting much of a protest. Prof Virender said that the audio had been tampered with and the conversation was completely out of context. Asked who “kaptan saab” was, Prof Virender said that he did not know him and was a “random caller”. It has been learnt that the caller was a spokesperson for Dalal khap 84. It is clear from the audio that Prof Virender called the khap spokesperson. TNS

Y’nagar roads cleared

Vij: Jats should form panel

Chandigarh: Heath Minister Anil Vij on Sunday made it clear that talks could not be held with a “mob” and said Jats should form a committee to hold parleys with the government. He said the agitation had become leaderless and "mobocracy" was prevailing. “At the moment, the ongoing agitation has become leaderless. It is like mobocracy (rule of the mob). The Jats should immediately form a committee to hold talks with the government. We cannot hold talks with the mob,” Vij said. PTI

20 hurt in Kalanaur clash

Rohtak: While Rohtak city remained somewhat peaceful on Sunday, the site of group clashes and arson shifted to Kalanaur town in the district. Over 10 shops, buildings and the local police stations were damaged by the agitating youths. Clashes were witnessed between members of Jat and non-Jat communities, in which nearly 20 youths were injured. The Army, BSF and police personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incident. As many as 15 youths were rounded up. The security forces also patrolled the town. The security personnel fired shots to disperse a mob near the railway station. TNS

Water shortage in Rohtak

Rohtak: Residents of several localities in Rohtak are dealing with a shortage of drinking water, power failures, power cuts and disturbance in milk and vegetables supply due to a curfew imposed here. The curfew has been imposed in view of the Jat protest. “There is no supply of water in our houses for two days, and we cannot buy packaged water due to the curfew,” said Baby, a resident of old Rohtak town. Amit Ahlawat, a resident of Sector 1, said no vegetables were available in their locality. TNS

Restore peace: K’shetra MP

Kurukshetra: Raj Kumar Saini, Kurukshetra MP, Sunday evening issued an appeal to restore peace and harmony. Saini made the two-line appeal on his Facebook page in Hindi. The MP, who is widely criticised for his anti-Jat rhetoric, appealed to ‘all to assist the government in maintaining law and order and ignore rumours’.Saini’s personnel staff at Kurukshetra confirmed the contents of the message. He reportedly returned to New Delhi today after a tour of south India. TNS

Victim’s kin seek relief

Yamunanagar: The body of a resident of Kalawar village was found near the bus stand of Kalayat in Kaithal district Saturday. The victim was identified as Puran Singh. He had gone to visit a relative in Kaithal. His brother, Vinod Kumar, alleged that Puran was killed during the Jat agitation. The victim's family demanded from Jagadhri Sub-divisional Magistrate Prem Chand and Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajay Rana compensation and strict action against miscreants. TNS

Jam on NH-1 for 10 hrs

Panipat: The National Highway-1 witnessed a heavy jam for more than 10 hours on Saturday. Protesters reached the Siwah village bus stand and obstructed the GT Road. The jam at Panipat has cut off five states from the Capital. The Army and police set up a barricade about 50m from the protesters. "I am on my way to Delhi from Chandigarh with my family but I am held up here. I have been waiting for a bus for the past four hours," said Amrik Singh of Delhi. TNS

Jats, Sainis pledge to maintain harmony

Hisar: Amid tension due to caste clashes in many parts of the state, residents of Narnaund have shown unity as members of Jat, Saini and other castes set up a 51-member peace committee to maintain law and order in the town. The decision was taken at an all-caste meeting organised by the Jat-dominated Satrol khap and the Municipal Committee in Devraj Dharamshala on Sunday. C chief Shamsher Saini said it was decided the markets would be kept open. TNS

Commuters seek action

Karnal: Despite Section 144 in force, roads at various places in the district remained blocked today. National Highway-1 was also blocked near Kohand village. Resentment and commuters blamed the government and the police for such situation and demanded a stringent action against the law violators. They said a handful people had been making mockery of law and nobody was there to stop them.Traffic heading towards Delhi was diverted via the Meerut road by the district administration, but due to a blockade on the Haryana-UP border in Badoli village, hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on the Meerut road. TNS

Peace march in Rohtak

Rohtak: Residents of Sector 1 in Rohtak, under the aegis of the Residents' Welfare Association (RWA), took out a harmony march today to reassure their fellow residents of their support in the wake of communal tension here as a result of the Jat agitation.The residents, led by RWA chairman Subhash Chander Dhawan, Kadam Singh Ahlawat, Rajesh Jain, Baba Mastnath University Vice-Chancellor Dr Markanday Ahuja, leading paediatrician Dr Dinesh Khosla, Dr Arun Narula, JS Sangwan and other prominent residents of the sector, went from door-to-door as a confidence-building measure. TNS

Non-Jats picket Rajnath’s residence

New Delhi: A group of people, claiming to be non-Jats, on Sunday assembled outside the residence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, complaining about only Jats being given attention by the government. The group of 50 people comprising youth, elderly and women from Haryana, assembled in front of the Akbar Road residence of the Home Minister here as he began his hour-long meeting with a Jat delegation to consider their demands for quota. They claimed many of their relatives were still trapped in several troubled areas, particularly Rohtak, due to the ongoing violence. PTI

Khap wants protesters punished

Bhiwani: Residents of 72 villages under the Sheoran khap on Sunday decided to punish those indulging in clashes or damaging public and private properties. Sita Ram, president of the Brahmin khap-84, said the demand for quota was legitimate but some anti-social elements had been trying to disturb brotherhood. He asked members of all communities to keep a vigil in their respective areas and intensify night patrolling. On the reports about the government accepting all demands of Jats, khap pardhan Sajjan Dadma said they would be satisfied only when a government’s representative convey this to them. tns

Agitation hits 1,000 trains in North

Ambala: The ongoing Jat agitation has severely affected the railway traffic in Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement issued here on Sunday, the railways stated that nearly 1,000 trains had been affected, 10 railway stations burnt, two railway engines and track machines damaged and tracks at several places uprooted by the protesters. The railways said nearly 1,000 trains had been cancelled, short-terminated or short-originated. As many as 730 mail and passenger trains had been cancelled and 105 diverted and 128 short-terminated, the railways said. TNS

Saini to meet PM, Prez

New Delhi: BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini says he does not regret opposing quota for Jats under the OBC category and that he has sought time from President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister to discuss the matter. " I will speak about the death and destruction caused by the protesters as well as the OBCs' apprehension that their quota share may be cut to accommodate the Jats", said a defiant Saini whose All-India OBC Brigade has been opposing the Jats. TNS

Rohtak MP Deepender meets Rajnath

New Delhi: Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda on Sunday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him to provide security to the people of Haryana. Deepender, an MP from Rohtak, told the Home Minister that a “fear psychosis” has gripped the people of the state. “I have not been able to visit my constituency ever since the violence erupted. I have urged the Home Minister to ensure that road network is restored immediately,” he told reporters after the meeting Home Minister. He said he had requested the Home Minister to provide compensation to those who died in violence and police action. PTI

Lahore- Delhi ‘Dosti’ bus service suspended

Lahore: Pakistan on Sunday suspended the Lahore- Delhi 'Dosti' bus service indefinitely at India's request in the wake of violence and arson in the Jat agitation. "The Indian government has requested us to suspend the Lahore-Delhi 'Dosti' bus service till the situation in Haryana comes under control. We (Indian and Pakistani governments) have mutually decided to suspend the Dosti bus service," Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation Manager Col (retired) Khalid said. The service will resume after getting clearance from the Indian Government, he said. PTI

Additional flights for stranded passengers

New Delhi: With public transport system in Haryana severely hit by the Jat stir for quota, the Civil Aviation Ministry has asked airlines to operate additional flights from Delhi to Chandigarh, Amritsar and Jaipur to enable stranded people reach their destinations. As part of this, all major domestic operators including Air India, Jet Airways and IndiGo will fly additional services from and to Delhi, an official release said. Air India also said that it is offering special nominal fares for its additional flights. "Air India has again spread its wings to fly out passengers stranded due to the sensitive situation. PTI

Over 1,200 booked for Pundri violence

Kaithal: The Pundri police have booked Sat Pal, a former sarpanch of Raman-Ramani village, and 800-900 other members of the Jat community and Ram Sarup Prajapat and 200- 250 non-Jats in connection with an exchange of fire between members of two groups over a road blockade during the Jat agitation on Saturday. The case had been registered on a complaint lodged by ASI Balbir Singh posted in Pundri police station stating that members of both groups carrying sticks and 'gandasis' blocked the Kaithal-Karnal road and attacking each other in Pundri.

Residents start ‘thikri pehra’ in Rohtak

Rohtak: Fearing threat to their lives, local residents have started 'thikri pehra' (night patrolling) in their respective localities. People belonging to the Jat, Punjabi, Saini, Valmiki, Brahmin, Vaishya and other communities have started guarding the entrance of their colonies from the miscreants with bamboo sticks in their hands. Mostly, youngsters were deputed at the entrance of their colonies while women and elderly men were asked to sit outside their houses. We are left with no other option except to hold ‘thikri pehra’ for the protection of our families as the district authorities have completely failed to maintain law and order,” a resident said. TNS

Kerala CM's uncle stranded

Thiruvananthapuram: An uncle of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was part of a delegation to Haryana as the chairman of a state-run animal husbandry corporation, is currently stranded in Karnal following the Jat quota-protest. John Jacob Valakalli told IANS from Karnal that they had gone to attend a national dairy meeting at Karnal. Around 30 officials representing Kerala's dairy industry could not come back as major roads were blocked, and they are now lodged at a hotel in Karnal. "There were about 70 of us from Kerala representing various departments. IANS

SC to hear Delhi’s plea on water supply today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Sunday agreed to give urgent hearing on Monday to a Delhi Government petition seeking the Centre's intervention for the uninterrupted supply of water from Mu

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Hooda fasts for peace

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