SOURCE:http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sunday-special/perspective/days-later-govt-struggles-with-its-own-paralysis/202084.html
HARYANARCHY : DAYS LATER GOVT STRUGGLES WITH ITS OWN PARALYSIS
The fire that has scalded the traditional social and cultural ties between the chattis biradris was set off on Valentine's Day, when the world was exchanging the message of love. Ever since Jats were perceived to be 'displaced' by the BJP's non-Jat-dominated Manohar Lal Khattar government in October 2014, an uneasy calm has prevailed in the community. Many Jats found consolation in the promise by the chief minister to implement reservation in jobs and educational institutions.
Fatigued by assurances, community leaders displayed restlessness as the government delayed its response following legal hurdles. Also, the BJP remained tongue-tied as its Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini openly chided the Jats. This is perceived as a precurser to the unprecedented anarchy across the state.
Yet right from day one, the failure of the government machinery to deal with the emerging situation was visible. There was no heads-up for the "inexperienced" BJP leadership as to how to deal with the quickly unfolding volatile situation. Civil servants and district administration kept waiting for directions, which never came.
"When Haryana was burning, the state police turned into mere information gatherers. All they did was brief their political bosses about the nature and the extent of damage. The advice of some officers, such as the IG Rohtak, forewarning the government about calling in paramilitary forces were ignored. In hindsight, the same officer has been transferred and suspended for dereliction of duty," says a senior Haryana minister.
The Jats' Swabhiman rally at Sampla in Rohtak was a warning enough. The Hindi word 'Swabhiman' (self-respect) was chosen in response to a series of 'invectives' unleashed by Saini. Temperatures were rising as some youths were not ready to wait any longer for a government response to their ultimatum till March 31. This led to 'direct action' to block the National Highway-10.
Moderates among the agitators demanded a Jat leader must assure them of reservation. Since both Jat leaders in the state cabinet, Captain Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar, were not available on February 14, no such assurance came. Yet the agitators agreed to lift the blocked if the district administration took their memorandum to the CM. The deputy commissioner spoke to some leaders on phone, but avoided a one-on-one. Humiliated, the agitators started blocking other roads. The agitation had by then began to be run by “invisible forces.”
When Dhankar spoke to the CM in the presence of Captain Abhimanyu on February 15 in Rohtak amid the swearing-in of panches and sarpanches, Khattar announced that the government would wait till March 31 for the report of a committee set up to deal with the issue. The Jat agitators felt the government was merely buying time. They started blocking more roads. By Feb 17, Rohtak town came to the emerging might of the Jat protesters. The next day, non-Jats expressed their bitterness and frustration over road blockades and disruption of normal life. Local traders took out a procession that was seen as an 'anti-reservation' march.
The government's inability to assess the gravity of the situation set the stage for the havoc that followed. A small clash led to rumours about Jat agitators having been beaten up. Hundreds of Jats from adjoining villages gathered in Rohtak. The police cracked down on Jat students who they alleged had thrown stones at them. The police went inside Jat College and Neki Ram Sharma College and singled out the students after checking their identity cards. All this only added fuel to the fire. For the agitators, it was time to for 'revenge'. They went to the local IG Office and damaged the property, vandalised the local RN Mall, looted guns and ammunition from a private armoury, burnt vehicles and finally set the house of Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu, with his family members inside, on fire. The protesters also burnt down schools.
The rioting then, shifted to neighbouring Jhajjar and Bhiwani.
Meanwhile, the Centre realised that the situation was beyond Khattar's control. BJP chief Amit Shah called Khattar on Feb 20 and told him to step back. The 'war room' shifted to Delhi where Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju met at Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence. State BJP leaders also met separately and concluded that announcing reservation for Jats was the only way out.
This was meant to douse the fire. Instead, another squabble began, this time within the BJP with the Jat and non-Jat ministers taking divergent views. Health Minister Anil Vij has let it be known that those who indulged in arson and violence cannot be given compensation. Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, while briefing the media, did not say anything about the compensation part. Even when his briefing was on, Dhankar tweeted that families of those killed will be given a job and Rs 10 lakh compensation besides protection against registration of false cases. Sharma came back to the media and repeated Dhankar's tweet. Non-Jat ministers are opposed to this announcement, causing a vertical split in the Khattar cabinet.
As normalcy returns, incidents of inhuman tragedy, tales of horrors like the Murthal gang-rape are coming out. The administrative machinery is clearly divided on caste lines with officials taking a stand based on their loyalty to political masters. The manner in which government machinery failed is apparent from the trail of destruction left behind.
REFERENCES :-
(K)Part- 11/X:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/12/jat-reservation-agitation.html
(J) Part-10/ X:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/sourcehttpwww.html
(H) Part-8/9 :- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-8-let-there-be-no-more.html
(G) PART- 7/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-79-let-truth-behind.html
(F) Part- 6/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-6-9-face-to-face-with.html
(E) Part -5/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-5-days-later-govt.html
(D) Part -4/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-4-why-haryana.html
(C) Part -3/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/harynarchy-part-3-backward-march-who.html
(B) Part -2/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-2-blunting-instrument.html
( A) Part -1/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/02/internal-security-indian-army-goof-up.html
HARYANARCHY : DAYS LATER GOVT STRUGGLES WITH ITS OWN PARALYSIS
Worst Affected
- Rohtak
- Jhajjar
- Bahadurgarh
- Hisar
- Bhiwani
- Jind
- Gohana
- Sonipat
- Kaithal
- Karnal
- Panipat
Death toll
- Jhajjar 13
- Sonepat 8
- Rohtak 5
- Jind 2
- Kaithal 1
- Hisar 1
The fire that has scalded the traditional social and cultural ties between the chattis biradris was set off on Valentine's Day, when the world was exchanging the message of love. Ever since Jats were perceived to be 'displaced' by the BJP's non-Jat-dominated Manohar Lal Khattar government in October 2014, an uneasy calm has prevailed in the community. Many Jats found consolation in the promise by the chief minister to implement reservation in jobs and educational institutions.
Fatigued by assurances, community leaders displayed restlessness as the government delayed its response following legal hurdles. Also, the BJP remained tongue-tied as its Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini openly chided the Jats. This is perceived as a precurser to the unprecedented anarchy across the state.
Yet right from day one, the failure of the government machinery to deal with the emerging situation was visible. There was no heads-up for the "inexperienced" BJP leadership as to how to deal with the quickly unfolding volatile situation. Civil servants and district administration kept waiting for directions, which never came.
"When Haryana was burning, the state police turned into mere information gatherers. All they did was brief their political bosses about the nature and the extent of damage. The advice of some officers, such as the IG Rohtak, forewarning the government about calling in paramilitary forces were ignored. In hindsight, the same officer has been transferred and suspended for dereliction of duty," says a senior Haryana minister.
The Jats' Swabhiman rally at Sampla in Rohtak was a warning enough. The Hindi word 'Swabhiman' (self-respect) was chosen in response to a series of 'invectives' unleashed by Saini. Temperatures were rising as some youths were not ready to wait any longer for a government response to their ultimatum till March 31. This led to 'direct action' to block the National Highway-10.
Moderates among the agitators demanded a Jat leader must assure them of reservation. Since both Jat leaders in the state cabinet, Captain Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar, were not available on February 14, no such assurance came. Yet the agitators agreed to lift the blocked if the district administration took their memorandum to the CM. The deputy commissioner spoke to some leaders on phone, but avoided a one-on-one. Humiliated, the agitators started blocking other roads. The agitation had by then began to be run by “invisible forces.”
When Dhankar spoke to the CM in the presence of Captain Abhimanyu on February 15 in Rohtak amid the swearing-in of panches and sarpanches, Khattar announced that the government would wait till March 31 for the report of a committee set up to deal with the issue. The Jat agitators felt the government was merely buying time. They started blocking more roads. By Feb 17, Rohtak town came to the emerging might of the Jat protesters. The next day, non-Jats expressed their bitterness and frustration over road blockades and disruption of normal life. Local traders took out a procession that was seen as an 'anti-reservation' march.
The government's inability to assess the gravity of the situation set the stage for the havoc that followed. A small clash led to rumours about Jat agitators having been beaten up. Hundreds of Jats from adjoining villages gathered in Rohtak. The police cracked down on Jat students who they alleged had thrown stones at them. The police went inside Jat College and Neki Ram Sharma College and singled out the students after checking their identity cards. All this only added fuel to the fire. For the agitators, it was time to for 'revenge'. They went to the local IG Office and damaged the property, vandalised the local RN Mall, looted guns and ammunition from a private armoury, burnt vehicles and finally set the house of Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu, with his family members inside, on fire. The protesters also burnt down schools.
The rioting then, shifted to neighbouring Jhajjar and Bhiwani.
Meanwhile, the Centre realised that the situation was beyond Khattar's control. BJP chief Amit Shah called Khattar on Feb 20 and told him to step back. The 'war room' shifted to Delhi where Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju met at Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence. State BJP leaders also met separately and concluded that announcing reservation for Jats was the only way out.
This was meant to douse the fire. Instead, another squabble began, this time within the BJP with the Jat and non-Jat ministers taking divergent views. Health Minister Anil Vij has let it be known that those who indulged in arson and violence cannot be given compensation. Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, while briefing the media, did not say anything about the compensation part. Even when his briefing was on, Dhankar tweeted that families of those killed will be given a job and Rs 10 lakh compensation besides protection against registration of false cases. Sharma came back to the media and repeated Dhankar's tweet. Non-Jat ministers are opposed to this announcement, causing a vertical split in the Khattar cabinet.
As normalcy returns, incidents of inhuman tragedy, tales of horrors like the Murthal gang-rape are coming out. The administrative machinery is clearly divided on caste lines with officials taking a stand based on their loyalty to political masters. The manner in which government machinery failed is apparent from the trail of destruction left behind.
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