Haryana Jat stir: Army rescued 36 foreigners, Japanese firm thankful

The Indian Army pre-empted an international crisis by rescuing 36 foreign nationals stranded in Haryana’s Rohtak, one of the worst-hit towns ravaged by the Jat quota stir.

Most of the foreigners -- 27 Japanese nationals, one Malaysian, one Belgian and three Italians -- worked with firms such as Asian Paints, Maruti and Japanese firm Aisin Automotives at Industrial Model Town (IMT).

“Evacuating the stranded foreigners was our first priority after we landed in Rohtak on February 20 at 4 pm,” Brigadier Arun Yadav, who led the army operation in Rohtak, told HT.

“Even though we landed with minimum resources because of road blockades, we evacuated 18 foreigners and sent them to a safe place on the same day,” he said.

Staff Officer Major Sanjeev Balyan, who led the operation with Lt Colonels Deepraj Gurang and Ritesh Sangwan, said some foreigners were also “helplessly grounded” at Sector 1 and 2.

“They were scared. They said they never expected such a situation in Haryana, a state that they considered progressive,” Balyan said.

Moved by the gesture, Makoto Saito, managing director of Aisin, sent a letter of gratitude to the Indian Army for ensuring the foreigners were sent back home safe.

“I felt happy and satisfied as my team brought back the much-needed peace in the city without having to harm anybody,” Brigadier Yadav said.