Haryana: Mobile internet services suspended in 13 districts till Sunday ahead of two rallies
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) SS Prasad said the rallies could cause tension or danger to life and property.
The Haryana government on Friday suspended mobile internet and messaging services in 13 districts – including Rohtak, Jind, Hisar, Bhiwani, Karnal, Panipat – ahead of two public rallies scheduled for Sunday, PTI reported. It is expected to be restored after midnight of November 26.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini, a vocal opponent of quotas for Jats, is set to address a rally in Jind on Sunday, while the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, led by Yashpal Malik, has announced a rally in Rohtak’s Jassia village. Malik will also inaugurate a proposed coaching institute-and-skill development centre, The Indian Express reported.
“It appears to me that there is likelihood of causing tension, annoyance, obstruction or injury to persons, danger to human life and property, destruction of public peace and tranquility within the limits of state of Haryana by protestors/agitators and anti-social elements during two public rallies,” Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Home) SS Prasad said in an order.
Meanwhile, on Friday, a group of sarpanches and a few Jat youths facing charges for violence during the 2016 protests demonstrated in Jassia against the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, The Tribune reported. A mahapanchayat was organised at Bhalauth village on Thursday to iron out differences between the outfit’s supporters and the protestors.
In March, internet services were suspended and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code were imposed in several areas after Malik’s outfit had announced its plan to protest outside the Parliament.
The Jat community is demanding reservation in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Classes category. Their protests in February 2016 took a violent turn, with thousands of protestors blocking highways and burning public properties worth crores. At least 30 people had died and more than 300 people were injured during those protests.