Hisar: A jeep that rioters were attempting to steal, set on fire after it got stuck in the fields, bullet ridden houses, burnt bikes and destroyed homes and lives. This is all that remains in Dhani Pal in Hisar district of Haryana. On February 21 and 22 villagers members of the Jat community from neighbouring villages allegedly targeted the homes, stole and vandalised property in this locality. Violence began in Rohtak, Mayyar near Hisar, and then spiralled in a chain reaction.
For ages, the villagers in the area had considered a dry canal as the border with one side of it being occupied by the Gujjars and the Sainis and the other side being occupied by the Jats. While the divide existed since long, villagers say the sense of this border has only been heightened after the kind of attacks that took place recently. The Jats came over from their side and allegedly indulged in clashes with the Gujjars and the Sainis and the other communities.
One of the houses that was set afire belonged to an ex-Army man who had invested his life savings to build his home. His family says they feel so unsafe that they may migrate for good. Even animals were not spared in the violence.
Villagers in Hisar have blamed the police for taking sides during the agitation. They allege that the police were slow to act since the force is dominated by Jats. Those who lost their homes when agitators opened fire are reluctant to build them again. They say their grand children are too scared to come back and live in the area.
"The elders wanted to run the reservation protest in a proper manner, the youth were the ones who didn't care and wanted just destruction. They said they want Jat Chief Minister. They wanted to assert that they are Jats and they can do anything," a villager Sushil said.
Another ominous fallout of the clashes is the growing demand for weapons among all communities. A gun house was looted in Rohtak. Wary Gujjars say they want to arm themselves. "We want weapons to arm ourselves. We cannot survive without weapons," say villagers.
Jat leaders are trying to distance themselves from the massive destruction caused in Haryana even while sticking to their demand for reservation. "The reservation protests were peaceful, but anti social elements entered the protests and caused the violence. They belong to no caste," Jat leader Joginder Lather said.
Haryana is limping back to normalcy but perhaps both the Jats as a community and Haryana as a state have lost much more than what they would have gained even if their reservation demands had been granted straightaway.
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