Jats angered by death of fasting protester

Angered by the death of an aged man sitting on an indefinite fast in Fatehabad district last night, Jat agitators demanding reservation in jobs today kept his body on the railway tracks and asserted that his sacrifice would not be in vain.

Vijay Singh (62) of Mehuwala village, who was on indefinite fast since March 14, died at the site of dharna at rail tracks last night.

Jat leaders demanded that he be given the status of a "shaheed" (martyr), one of his family members be given a government job and a memorial be built in his memory.

They said if the goverment tried to remove them from the tracks, a befitting reply would be given from their side.

Meanhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Haryana administration to ensure removal of Jat agitators from all the railway tracks in the state.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi instructed all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) in Haryana to take effcetive steps in this regard.

It also asked them to inform the agitating Jat leaders about the court's decision.

The court gave the directions in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) - National Consumer Awareness Group Society headed by Lt Col (retd) P J S Mehta.

The Jat agitators had blocked railway tracks at various places in the state for over a fortnight to press their demand for reservation in Central services under OBC category.

The Supreme Court also directed UP and Haryana governments to ensure that essential services were not disrupted by agitators who are demanding OBC status for the Jat community.

A bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir today issued the orders on a petition filed by Delhi Jal Board seeking directions to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and her Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda's governments to ensure that essential supplies like water, milk, health, electicity to Delhi were not disrupted.

The court observed that Ms Mayawati and Mr Hooda were supporting the agitation. "Heads of Haryana and UP government seem to be supporting jats agitation," the bench said.

The court also took serious note of the agitation leaders' threats that Delhi will be sealed off on March 28, if their demands for grant of OBC status was not accepted.

NNN