PROTESTS// Jat quota agitation that started last month turned violent, resulting in deaths of 10 people and dozens, including security personnel, injured. The army was deployed in eight districts — Rohtak, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Panipat, Jind and Kaithal -- and over 5,000 security personnel were pressed into service in the affected districts. Jats particularly targeted shops and establishments that belonged to non-Jats, at several places. Protestors also ransacked and damaged private property. Malls, cinema halls and scores of new cars at showrooms were torched, shops looted, and private residences damaged. The financial losses are estimated to be above Rs 20,000 crore.

The Jats from Haryana are a politically influential community with a population of around 82.5 million. Mostly well-to-do farmers, the Jats are protesting because they want reservation in colleges and in government jobs. They are seeking reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. They had been promised that the Economically Backward Category (EBC) quota will be increased from 10 per cent to 20 per cent by the state government. As the protestors sabotaged the Munak Canal, more than 10 million people in Delhi went without water supply for a little over three days. The army finally came to the rescue and took control of the canal and normal supplies were resumed to affected areas. All Delhi's schools remained closed because of the water crisis.

While the violence has given disgruntled BJP leaders a good reason to seek Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s ouster, the Jat opposition leaders, including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the leader of the Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala, did not attempt to calm the mobs either.