A young couple poses for a selfie on a hot April afternoon at the Munak Canal near Garhi-Bindroli villages in Haryana’s Sonipat district.
They point towards the mounds of soil that betray recent activity while standing atop a sluice gate that was broken by protestors two months ago.
A portion of the canal, measuring 200 feet, and the gate at Bindroli village were damaged on February 21 by Jats protesting against the Haryana government’s delay in granting them reservation.
On February 19, the protestors had stopped the flow in the canal — one of the primary raw water sources for Delhi — by closing the sluice gates near Bindroli and Khubdu villages.
They damaged the canal two days later, and Delhi suffered a severe water crisis that lasted more than two weeks.
The canal was finally repaired by the Delhi Jal Board, at a cost of Rs. 1 crore, on March 8.
It took both the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force to secure the canal, and to keep it that way till the work was done.
Two months on, none of those responsible have been arrested and Delhi’s lifeline – the Munak Canal – remains vulnerable to future disruptions.
After the incident, the Haryana Police had filed an FIR on February 22 at Kundli police station on a complaint by Sonipat Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nisanat Yadav. The FIR said that a group of young men had tried to murder a government official present at the canal and blocked the water supply at Garhi-Bindroli.
According to the FIR, the 10 accused — with one of them carrying a country-made pistol — disobeyed government orders and blocked the way of the officer. They were charged with attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, wrongful restraint, obstruction to public drainage, rioting and armed with deadly weapon as per sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
Though the FIR mentions the names of the accused, along with their villages and fathers’ names, no arrests have been made so far. The accused are all residents of Garhi Bala, Bindroli and Mallha Majra, which are villages around the canal.
The Kundli Station House Officer, Inspector Bijender Singh, told The Hindu that no progress was made in the case as the accused were not present at their addresses when the police mounted raids.
Locals, however, said “outsiders” were to be blamed.
Sri Bhagwan, whose nephew Sumit Dahiya was among the accused and ended up dying when the Army fired to control protestors, said: “About 10,000 people came from all over to protest. Sumit had nothing to do with it.”
Today, the site of the damage has become somewhat of a local sightseeing spot. Like the couple that stopped on their way to click some photos, many come to have a look. CRPF personnel keep an eye on the site.
The Munak Canal is comprised of the new Carrier-Lined Channel (CLC), which was broken by the protestors, and the old Delhi Sub Branch canal.
It carries about 60 per cent of Delhi’s water. The breach of the canal not only threw water supply in the city out of gear for weeks, but exposed Delhi’s reliance on Haryana for its lifeline.
“After the damage to the Munak Canal, we have become vulnerable. Now, any group that wants the Centre or any other government’s attention can just stop the Capital’s water supply,” said DJB chairperson Kapil Mishra.
The Haryana Irrigation Department also echoed this concern. Superintendent Engineer R.K. Singla said he had written to the authorities in Sonipat to set up a permanent police post at the canal at Bindroli.
Delhi too held a meeting recently, where Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung and Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma were present. Mr. Mishra said the Delhi Police was asked to keep an eye along the canal when it enters the Capital. Mr. Mishra said a representation on the issue of the canal’s security was sent to the Centre as well.
Two months after
the Jat agitaton, none of those responsible for the damage has been arrested
