They say there are 36 biradaris (communities) in Haryana. In February, when the single-largest caste in the State — the Jats — started an agitation demanding reservation, the remaining 35 biradaris came together to counter the stir.
Their protest, however, lasted only a few hours.
Media reports and rumours on social media and WhatsApp in February, and even the Prakash Singh Committee, which was tasked by the Haryana government to investigate the role of authorities during the violent agitation, found proof of the unified front.
In many parts of the State, including Rohtak and Bhiwani, chants of “35 biradari zindabad ” were heard at protests by non-Jats when the agitation hit daily life, with highways being blocked and businesses being attacked.
35 brigadeRohtak saw the most organised effort by the non-Jat communities, with a '35 Biradari Sangharsh Samiti' (35 communities struggle committee) being formed.
But the group fizzled out within a day after its interaction with the protesting Jats led to violent clashes. Rohtak residents, both Jats and non-Jats, believe that the “peaceful demonstrations” by Jats turned violent after that incident.
It all started on February 18, when lawyers — mostly belonging to the Jat community — clashed with a group, mainly traders, carrying banners that said “35 biradari jo chahegi, ussi ko CM banayegi ” (whoever the 35 communities want will be the Chief Minister).
Now, when the Jat agitation for reservation has been renewed with an indefinite protest from June 5, it’s as if the “35 brigade”, as Rohtak residents refer to it, never existed.
From February 17 evening till February 18 night, the group was born, got embroiled in controversy and died a silent death.
“If you ask them [non-Jats] what these 35 castes are, they won't be able to name them. It was a saying in Haryana that 36 communities live together. The BJP used this as a way to divide Jats and non-Jats,” said Ashok Balhara, the Rohtak unit chief of the Akhil Bharatiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) that has given the call to protest.
Manish Kumar Grover, the BJP MLA of Rohtak, declined to comment on the allegations against the party. "The previous governments had been promising reservation to Jats for decades. It was the BJP government that finally passed the Bill. Our intentions are clear," said Mr. Grover.
Blame gameWhile many Jat leaders have blamed the BJP, and repeated anti-reservation statements from the party’s Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini have not helped, Rohtak’s traders are pointing the finger at the Congress.
Rahul Jain, a former Rohtak Youth Congress president, was among eight non-Jats accused in a police complaint about the clash with lawyers. He denies the charge, though the Prakash Singh Committee report quotes him as giving a speech at Chhotu Ram Chowk on February 18 asking the 35 communities to work together against one — the Jats.
Mr. Jain, however, told The Hindu that the quote attributed to him was actually said by someone else. He said the traders were on their way to give the Deputy Commissioner a memorandum asking the government to lift the road and rail blockades that had hit supply of everything from food to fuel.
The protesters had blocked the highway at Sampla for five days as of February 17, when a mob tried to shut some shops at Chhotu Ram Chowk but were driven away by the traders’ association, said Mr. Jain. The traders gave a memorandum to the DC asking for help, and then held a meeting in the evening to decide the future course of action.
“There we decided to go to the DC on February 18 under the banner of the 35 Biradari Sangharsh Samiti to ask for help as our homes and businesses were suffering due to the stir,” said Mr. Jain.
Mr. Jain said that on the way to the DC’s office, the group came across the lawyers’ dharna .
“They said that Punjabis and Sainis would be no match to Jats. A fight broke out and we ended up running away. We later regrouped at Chhotu Ram Chowk, where the lawyers came with students and attacked us,” said Mr. Jain.
Alleging bias on the part of the police, Mr. Jain said he was the only one to be arrested for the clash.
‘Used by politicians’“The government wanted to portray the Congress as the trouble-maker. Just because I have been associated with the Congress, they targeted me,” said Mr. Jain.
The Haryana Congress denied the allegations. Ashok Tanwar, the president of Haryana Congress, said that Mr. Jain had been with the Youth Congress, but was not actively involved anymore.
“During the riots, people got carried away. But now they are beginning to realise what the BJP was doing. It is an inherent part of the BJP ideology to spread communal hatred,” said Mr. Tanwar.
Non-Jats, who were part of the so-called 35 brigade, said they were used by political parties.
Hemant Bakshi, a businessman and the president of the Haryana Punjab Swabhimaan Sangh, said the traders had decided to peacefully raise a voice against the violent stir.
“No one had any lathis or any weapons. Our markets depend on customers from nearby villages, so the stir was hitting both supply and demand,” said Mr. Bakshi.
The rumours that political parties had ignited the clashes gained some credence.
“A simple reading of the above extracts clearly brings out that the atmosphere was being vitiated, that leaders opposed to reservation for Jats and those in favour of such reservation were both spreading poison,” stated the Prakash Singh report.
Among the aspects of anti-reservation speeches the committee found “highly objectionable” were “references to “35 Biradaris”.
