Violence exploded in parts of Haryana on Friday as Jat protesters demanding reservation in jobs and education set a state minister Captain Abhimanyu’s home and cars on fire. The minister was in Chandigarh and his family had been moved to safely earlier. A man was killed when policemen opened fire on protesters who had blocked a road near the Rohtak-Delhi bypass and burnt vehicles including a police jeep. Haryana police chief YP Singhal said the army had been called in Rohtak and other towns like Jhajjar, Sonepat, Bhiwani and Hisar. Mobile internet services have been blocked in Rohtak since yesterday, when the week-long agitation escalated. “A leaderless mob of the Jat community is out in Rohtak town and that is behind the violence,” said the police chief.
Protests spread to Kaithal, Karnal, Jind and other districts in the state, disrupting road and rail traffic as protesters blocked highways and railway tracks. The blockade forced the state to suspend bus services on many routes. Schools have shut down in the affected towns and the supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and other commodities has been hit because of the highway blockade.