CHANDIGARH: In a significant development, the police have booked Prof Virender Singh, a close aide of former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, and a Khap leader Capt Man Singh for instigating people to resort to violence during the Jat agitation for reservation. Meanwhile, the death toll, during the violence has reached 30 and the number of injured has risen to 200, said Director General of Police YP Singhal. The violence has affected at least 10 districts in Haryana. A police spokesman said 13 of the deceased were killed in Jhajjar district, 8 in Sonipat, 5 in Rohtak, 2 in Jind and 1 person each in Kaithal and Hisar.
Singhal said the army requisitioned by the state government to control the protests would slowly start withdrawing from the affected areas. “Normalcy is fast returning to the state. All railway tracks and highways are functional. Anyone found to have indulged in arson, hatching a conspiracy, or vandalism won't be spared,” he said. The DGP said that 713 FIRs were registered and around 133 people were arrested. The Jat community protests for quota swiftly went out of control as several government buildings, private shops, malls, educational institutions, hospitals and showrooms were set on fire by mobs. Hundreds of shops were looted and lit. A trade and industry body has pegged the losses in Haryana at around £2 billion.
The event has put ruling Bharatiya Janta Party in a soup as not only the Opposition, but even the netizens slammed BJP for their failure in curbing the situation. The Haryana police have been accused of not reacting to the situation in time and ensuring safety of people and property as the violent protesters had a field day in arson and looting.
