Quota protests turn violent in Haryana, 1 killed

One person was killed and several others injured as police opened fire on protesters demanding quota for Jat community under OBC category who later went on a rampage, damaging vehicles and rail track and vandalising public property at Mayyar village in Haryana on Monday.

The activists belonging to 'Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti' had blocked the road traffic on Hisar-Delhi highway, 15 km from Hisar.

Police tried to disperse the protesters, but when they resisted the security personnel lobbed tear gas shells and opened fire in which one person identified as Sunil Lamba (22) of Ladwa village and over a dozen people were injured, sources said.

The agitators then when on a rampage and vandalized public property, including Haryana roadways bus. They attacked a fire tender and some private vehicles, police said adding that they also ransacked the Mayyar village railway station and damaged the rail track forcing railway authorities to cancel trains on Rewari-Bathinda and Jaipur-Hisar section of railways.

The mob also set afire a petrol pump and also damaged a truck and two jeeps, police said. Top police and civil administration officials have reached the area.

The situation is tense, but under control, police said. No arrest has been made so far. Jat, a dominant class in Haryana, have been demanding that they should be included in the list of OBC.

Meanwhile, agitated residents of Ladwa village forcibly took away the body of Lamba kept in a mortury of the civil hospital.
The Delhi-Hisar national highway remained blocked by protesters forcing authorities to divert the traffic.