Top ministers review Haryana situation as Jat delegation meets Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: Top Union ministers, senior officers and the Army chief today reviewed the prevailing situation in Haryana where violence continued unabated following the Jat quota stir.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari sat for an hour, taking stock of the situation, as violence and arson spread to more areas in the state.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, chief of Intelligence Bureau Dineswar Sharma were among those who attended the meeting.

"The ministers and the top officers reviewed the situation and the steps taken to curb the violence and restore normalcy in the trouble-torn areas," a senior officer told PTI.

This was for the second consecutive day that the senior ministers reviewed the Haryana situation.

Yesterday, they had decided to provide all assistance to Haryana government to tackle the law and order situation.

Army and paramilitary personnel have already been deployed in several districts in Haryana.

Four persons were killed in firing by security personnel at Rohtak and Jhajjar districts taking the death toll to five even as he Army staged flag marches in affected pockets.

As Haryana remained on the boil, Army had to use choppers to reach parts of blocked Rohtak district even as several Haryana Roadways buses, seven railway stations, a police station and some buildings were torched by pro-quota protesters.

Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing violence in Haryana following protests by Jats, a delegation of community leaders from Uttar Pradesh today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and urged him to take urgent steps to fulfil their demands on reservation.

The Jat delegation told the Home Minister that the community has been deprived of benefits due to the lack of quota, especially in Haryana.

They told Singh that Jats have be facing problems in other states too, including in Uttar Pradesh.

The delegation urged the Home Minister to ensure that justice is given to the community by the BJP government in Haryana and the NDA government at the Centre.

Sources said the Home Minister gave the Jat delegation a patient hearing and assured them that the Central government and the Haryana government would do their best to solve the problems of the Jats.

Violence and arson in the Jat quota stir in Haryana spread to more areas today with five people being killed in firing by security forces in three districts taking the death toll to six even as the Army staged flag marches in worst-hit pockets.

As Haryana remained on the boil, several Haryana Roadways buses, seven railway stations, a police station and some buildings were torched by pro-quota protesters. Army had to use choppers to reach parts of blocked Rohtak district.