Jat quota protests

Why in news?

The Jat quota agitation, which had been limited to Haryana so faris being extended to Delhi.

Who are Jats?

• Jats originally belonged to farming communities and now mostly live in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and UP making upto 82.5 million in population.
• In Haryana, Jats are a politically influential community and constitute nearly 29% of the population.

What are their demands?

• Jats, Jat Sikhs, Rors, Tyagis and Bishnois, are seeking reservation under the OBC category.
• They had been promised that the Economically Backward Category (EBC) quota will be increased from 10% to 20% by the state government.
• In addition to this they were also promised the annual income ceiling from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh to accommodate more people under the category.

What happened last year?

• Jat quota agitation that started Feb 2016, turned violent resulting in deaths of 10 people and dozens, including security personnel, injured.
• The Army was called in to eight districts and over 5,000 security personnel have been deployed in affected districts.

Timeline of Events:

• March 2008: All India Jat Mahasabha raises demand for quota at a convention in Jind.
• September 2010: All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti(AIJASS), led by Hawa Singh Sangwan, blocks rain traffic in Hisar's Mayyar village. A youth dies during this protest.
• March 2011: AIJASS resumes agitation at Mayyar village, blocks railway tracks.
• December 2012: Haryana government gives special backward status to Jats with 10% quota to five castes.
• March 2014: UPA government grants OBC status to Jats.
• March 17, 2015: Supreme Court sets aside the notification that granted OBC status to Jats.
• March 26, 2015: Narendra Modi meets representatives of Khap Panchayats and Jat leaders, supports quota demand.
• February 2016: AIJASS resumes agitation for inclusion of Jats as OBC.

What are the other reasons behind current protests?

• The demonstrators want to express solidarity with Jats in Haryana, who have been protesting for one week.
• They will stop with a copy of our memorandum being handed over to the SDM for consideration.
• The Jat community has been demanding immediate implementation of promises made to them by the Chief Minister after the agitations last year.
• They are also demanding that all cases registered against protesters from the community during last year’s agitation in Haryana be taken back.
• Additionally a compensation for families of those who lost their lives in the agitation last year, as well as government jobs for at least one member of such families are also demanded.

Source: The Hindu