Quota stir: Now, Jats to boycott shops not supporting their agitation in written

In yet another resolution passed to press for their demands, Jat leader Yashpal Malik on Sunday asked the community to stop purchasing goods from shops that don’t support their agitation in written.

He said this while addressing thousands of Jat protesters gathered here in Jassia village to observe the ‘Black Day’ called to protest what the Jats call the “bias of the government against the Jat community”.

Malik said, “From March 1, purchase only those goods from the market that are extremely important and only from those shops or traders who have mentioned that they support Jat agitation and the demands raised by the community, in writing outside their shops.”

“Try to buy as little as possible to crumble the markets in Haryana,” the AIJASS president said.

The Jat leader had earlier asked the community to stop paying electricity and water bills and repayment of loans to government agencies from March.

Earlier in the day, as a mark of protest, Jats painted Jassia village in black by adorning only black clothes. The leaders once again alleged that Jat victims of last year’s quota stir were ‘not given justice’. This comes despite the state police having countered this claim on Saturday.

It is learnt that the principle organising committee of the quota stir, the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti, reportedly distributed black scarves to women and black turbans to men in a door-to-door campaign in several villages that are actively participating in the dharnas.

National highway-71 A that passes through Jassia was clogged with a large number of vehicles belonging to the protesters. The police had shut the highway from Rohtak to Jassia and had diverted routes for commuters.

However, what can perhaps be seen as a security lapse on part of the administration, police and paramilitary forces were not deployed anywhere near the dharan spots, even to control traffic as vehicles of the protesters clogged the highway for several hours. This is despite the fact that Rohtak city has adequate deployment of police and paramilitary force.

After ‘Black Day’ comes ‘Black Holi’

The Jat leaders on Sunday also asked the community to boycott the upcoming festival of Holi in March. “So many of our community members have died in the last one year, while many are in jail. There has been immense injustice. We will observe Black Holi by not celebrating it,” Jat leader Ashok Balhara said.

Last year, too, Rohtak, which used to witness the festival of colours with much fervour and fanfare saw a subdued Holi, after the city was rocked by unprecedented violence in February during the Jat quota stir.