Haryana limping back to normalcy, several highways opened

Chandigarh: Haryana is limping back to normalcy as blocakades from some national and state highways have been lifted. This comes after the Narendra Modi government announced that a committee will be established to look into the Jat community's demand of reservation under the OBC quota.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu will head this committee even as incidents of arson and violence left two more dead taking the toll in the eight-day long stir to 12.

The Haryana government has also announced that they will deliver reservation to the Jat community in the next Assembly session. Jat leaders welcomed the move after meeting Home Minister Rajnath singh and have appealed for the strike to be called off.

Meanwhile, Internet services are resuming slowly in the state.

Protestors have started lifting blockades at some places following Centre's assurances. Blockades from some national and state highways including Saharanpur-Ambala at Yamunanagar, Paonta Sahib-Yamunanagar, Ambala-Kaithal, Saharanpur-Pipli-Kurukshetra, Zirakpur-Parwanoo and Ladwa-Shahbad were being lifted, officials said.

Normalcy was also reported to be returning to some other cities including Kaithal and officials expected that by Monday situation would improve considerably.

With the situation returning to normalcy, curfew was lifted curfew from Kaithal and its nearby town Kalayat on Sunday evening.

Anatomy of the entire quota row:

- Jats were not included in OBC lists both in states and Centre when reservations were given to socially and educationally backward communities after the 1993 Indira Sahwney case.

- During NDA I regime, Rajasthan was the first state to give reservations to Jats in state services.

- Jats of other states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi were also granted quota by state government.

- The Haryana quota was challenged in the High Court where it remains pending.

- Towards the end of its tenure, the UPA government approved reservations to Jats in central services.

- The order of the Central government was struck down by the Supreme Court.

(With additional information from PTI)