Jhajjar mortuary records caste of dead: 2 Sainis, 1 Kumhar, 1 Halwai, 3 Jats; SP says he hasn’t seen Haryana so divided; 3 Jat bystanders killed in police firing.
In the line of six shops at Chhavani Mohalla in Jhajjar where Jat protesters seeking quotas went on the rampage Sunday, only one, the Jat-owned shop, has been left untouched: Sri Om Hooda Electricals. The other five, belonging to Sainis and Nais, were allegedly set ablaze by the Jats. And at the main market, there is nothing left of the shops on either side of Haryana Book Depot. Mostly shoe shops, owned by Sainis and Punjabis, they were set on fire Saturday. The bookstore belongs to a Jat.
In the line of six shops at Chhavani Mohalla in Jhajjar where Jat protesters seeking quotas went on the rampage Sunday, only one, the Jat-owned shop, has been left untouched: Sri Om Hooda Electricals. The other five, belonging to Sainis and Nais, were allegedly set ablaze by the Jats. And at the main market, there is nothing left of the shops on either side of Haryana Book Depot. Mostly shoe shops, owned by Sainis and Punjabis, they were set on fire Saturday. The bookstore belongs to a Jat.
If property targeted was by caste, so was life. At the Jhajjar civil hospital, seven post-mortem examinations have been conducted so far. Four were killed over the weekend, including one who was axed to death before his family, said the next of kin. In the mortuary register, each name has an address — and caste.
According to hospital entries examined by The Indian Express, two were identified as Sainis, one as Kumhar, the fourth Halwai and the remaining three Jats. Other critical cases have been referred to Rohtak’s PGI hospital. Sources said the administration sought a list of the dead and the caste of each.
The Jat quota protests have opened this glaring divide as it has now acquired violent, caste overtones with Jat protesters turning their ire on non-Jats, mostly OBCs in these parts, say police and officials.
Conceding that the Jat quota agitation has taken a violent caste turn, Jhajjar SP Sumit Kumar told The Indian Express: “It all started with Jats torching shops belonging to Punjabis and Sainis. In retaliation, the two communities, along with others, vandalised the Chhotu Ram dharamshala of the Jat community. Following this, the Jats attacked Chhavani Mohalla, burnt shops and killed people. We have never seen this kind of violence and divide among castes in Haryana. But normalcy is gradually being restored.”
In Chhavani Mohalla, where the OBCs are in majority, residents said the Jats came around 1 pm Sunday, identified shops, vehicles and homes of Sainis, Nais and other backward castes before looting and torching them. The men were carrying countrymade guns, axes, swords, iron rods, Molotov cocktails made from Old Monk rum bottles. The properties of Jats were spared.
Soon, the mob began to kill.
Shamlal Singh, a Saini employed with PWD as beldar, was allegedly dragged out of his house and hacked to death, said members of his family who watched helplessly from the terrace. His son Hemant, who cleared Class XII recently, said the family has no land. “I will have to quit studies as I am the only son. I have to find work to feed my family of four. Why kill us? Are we going to get them reservation?”
Krishan Saini, 45, was returning home from his two-acre farm that kept his family of six going. Before he could realise what was happening, a bullet pierced his chest. His son Harish, who rushed towards him, said he was also fired at but survived.
