Jats block national highway, torch railway station in Hisar

Hisar, Haryana : Protests by Jat community continued in Hisar district of Haryana for the third day on Wednesday as angry mobs blocked the national highway and set fire to a railway station.

The state government?s claims late on Tuesday that the agitation had been called off following a compromise were found mistaken as the Jats continued their protests.

The Jats blocked the national highway and set on fire the Jind railway station.

They are demanding Other Backward Class (OBC) status for the community and have threatened to block all roads to Delhi from October three if their demand is not met.

The protests had started on Monday, when two protestors were also reportedly crushed to death under a goods train at Uklana in the district as they were squatting on the tracks to block the train, though there is no official confirmation on the incident.

Another protestor was allegedly killed in police firing on Monday. The government has already ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident and transferred the district superintendent of police, also booking him on murder charges.

Curfew was imposed in Hisar on Tuesday following escalation in tension in the district.

The district administration had also sought the Army?s help in controlling the situation as protestors torched government buildings, looted trucks and blocked roads and railway tracks.

Mobs torched a State Bank of India branch at Hisar Cantt, building of a cooperative bank in Agroha town here and HP Cotton mill as well as two buses of the company.

A petrol pump, which was lying closed, had also been damaged by the mob here.

Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had claimed on Tuesday that a compromise has been struck with the agitators and the state government has recommended favourably for reservation of the Jat community.

But the protestors maintained that no deal has been struck with the government.