With the Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow Bench taking a stern view of the inconvenience caused to the public following cancellation and diversion of several trains, the 15-day-long rail blockade by Jats has been lifted.
The blockade at the Kafurpur railway station in Jyotiba Phule Nagar (Amroha) district ended on Saturday, when the Uttar Pradesh government, forced to act on the court orders, went in top gear to get the track vacated by the Jats, who are demanding reservation in Central government services.
Announcing the outcome, Chief Minister Mayawati once again threw the ball in the Centre's court and blamed it for the fortnight-long impasse.
“When the Jat agitators resorted to the blockade, the Centre should have asked them to vacate the rail track,” Ms. Mayawati told journalists at a hurriedly convened press conference here. “The Centre is responsible for the problems caused to the people and the issue being subsequently taken up by the High Court.”
For enforcing law and order in Jyotiba Phule Nagar, the State had demanded 50 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces for deployment by 5.30 p.m. on Friday, but there was no response from the Centre, she said. However, adequate number of State security personnel were positioned in Kafurpur on Friday. Negotiations were simultaneously held with the leaders of the agitators, Ms. Mayawati said. She urged the Centre to resolve the Jat reservation issue at the earliest.
On a day of fast developments, senior administrative and police officials of Jyotiba Phule Nagar district on Saturday descended on the dharna site at the railway station and urged the Jats to end the blockade. Heavy security force was deployed at the station situated on the busy New Delhi-Moradabad-Bareilly-Lucknow rail route.
In the morning, Principal Secretary (Home) Kunwar Fateh Bahadur and Director-General of Police Karamveer Singh were sent to Amroha for negotiations with leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti. The Commissioner of the Meerut division and the district police chiefs of Ghaziabad, Jyotiba Phule Nagar and Baghpat were present. Five companies of the Rapid Action Force and adequate number of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and Central forces, and State police personnel were deployed to prevent a law and order problem.
According to a senior State government official, the Kafurpur railway station was sealed from all sides when talks between the senior officials and Jat leaders were held.
The Jats were asked to continue with their symbolic dharna at a school about 300 metres from the station but allow train movement, he said.
Case registered
Reports from Amroha said the Government Railway Police registered a case against Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti president Yashpal Malik, and 1,500 others on Friday for occupying the track and causing stoppage of trains and damage to railway property
