Jassia village bears the brunt of 2016 Jat stir

Sunit Dhawan

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Rohtak, February 14

Youths of Jassia village in Rohtak district, which remained the centre of protests during the Jat agitation for the grant of reservation in 2016, still feel the pinch of the stir.

Youths facing criminal charges

Jassia became the centre of the Jat quota stir. Several village youths were named in criminal cases and faced charges of sedition and arson etc. This brought a bad name to the village and our youths continue to face rejections in job interviews as well as matrimonial proposals. Om Prakash Hooda, Jassia sarpanch

As per village residents, their sons face discrimination in grant of government as well as private jobs due to which the tribe of unemployed youths has been growing since the agitation.

As a result, residents of other villages also refrain from marrying their daughters in Jassia. Hence, hundreds of village youths are unable to get married.

“Jassia became the centre of the Jat quota stir. Several youths of the village were named in criminal cases and faced charges of sedition and arson etc. This brought a bad name to the village and our youths continue to face rejections in job interviews as well as matrimonial proposals,” said Jassia sarpanch, Om Prakash Hooda.

The sarpanch maintains that as of now, 800 to 900 youths of the village are jobless, while 300-400 of them are unmarried.

“Many youths of the village are forced to bring brides from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh,” he pointed out.

Hooda, who has retired from the Police Department, says he plans to build a library-cum-coaching centre to help the village youths clear the competitive exams for government jobs.

“I was named in police cases registered during the agitation and also remained in jail. This affected my life and career badly. I feel we have become outcasts as a consequence of the quota stir,” said Manoj Duhan, an advocate of Jassia village.

However, Pawan Hooda, also a resident of Jassia, differs, asserting the agitation brought a “good name and fame” to the village.