CHANDIGARH: Students belonging to the upper castes have been in. the forefront burning public property, forcing closure of business and educational institutions and forcing citizens to stay indoor in most of the towns of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and other parts of north India.

It is widely believed that the senior echelons of the administration are not only in sympathy with the main demand of the agitating students that the backward castes should not be given any reservation quota in public services but are actually trying to force it with arson and lawlessness.

The Anny had to be called in several towns such as Chandigarh, Amabala, and Kurukshetra. In Chandigarh and Ambala the authorities imposed curfew restrictions.

In Chandigarh more than 100 cars belonging to the Punjab, Haryana and U.T. administrations as well as those of the Central Govt. were burnt down by miscreants who went to the extend of attacking these vehicles right in the officer’s houses in sector 7. At Rohtak anti-reservation mobs damaged the statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the liberator of Indian Dalits, who compelled the Indian Govt. to provide for quota to the members of the scheduled castes in public services. The supporters of reservation also took out a procession. There was a clash between the 2 groups resulting in injuries to 20 persons. In Amabala extensive damage to public property has been caused by the rampaging upper caste Hindu youths supported by the B.J.P. and the Congress (I). The Railways suffered a loss of about Rs crore, according to the authorities. The mob burnt down the personal car of Anit Dulad, Divisional Commercial Superintendent, and Railway.

Educational institutions in almost all cities of the region have been closed down and education has been disrupted for about a month.

There has been a spurt in the anti-reservation movement over the weekend. Many attribute it to the ensuing debate before the Indian Supreme Court on the issue.

 The court adjoined the case until the first week of Nov.

NEW DELHI: Army was called out Saturday in Kurukshetra to quell large scale violence after a post graduate student of the university committed suicide on the campus.

Sushil Kumar consumed poison and died to protest against reservations.

As the news of the suicide spread about 2000 students gathered in the campus and marched to the city burning and damaging whatever govt. property came their way.

The students who grew in strength to about 4000 as they reached the city attacked govt. vehicles, houses of civil and police officers including that of deputy commissioner.

Police lobbed teargas shells at 3 places in the capital Monday to disperse unruly mobs of anti-job Reservation agitators who damaged about 70 buses of Delhi Transport Corporation and threw traffic out of Delhi Transport Corporation and threw traffic out of gear by setting up road blocks at about 35 places in the city.

Police picked up about 75 agitators from different trouble spots on charges of breach of peace and rioting.

About 200 anti-reservationists protestors gathered outside the right ‘wing ‘Bharatiya Janata Party’ office on Ashoka road demanding that the party withdraw its support to the National Front govt. for its reservation policy.

Police burst at least 4 teargas shells to disperse the student— protestors when some of them pelted stones from one of the bungalows opposite the BJP office. Nearly 40 students were picked up by the police from the spot.

One of the students of Delhi University who last week tried to immolate himself protesting govt’s recently announced job reservation policy for the socially backward section of Indian community is convalescing in South Delhi’s Safdar jung hospital and students have cut off entire vehicular traffic to this area.

Meanwhile, the ongoing protest against fresh job— reservations received another fillip when a 22yr old Delhi University student S Chauhan Monday made a self-immolation bid near the Safdar Jung hospital here and received almost cent per cent bums.

Chauhan, a student of Dayal Singh College, is in a critical condition and is struggling for his life.

According to district police Chief Asad Faroogi, police were prevented by students from reaching Chauhan who had doused himself with petrol from his own motorbike.

He said the students, who continued their siege of the area around the hospital, encircled Chauhan and stopped anyone from putting out the flames.

“Inspector Gur Dayal Chand who managed to break through the student Cordon, reached Chauhan but by then precious minutes had been lost and his entire body was engulfed in flames, Farogi said.

Earlier, Chauhan had participated in a demonstration outside the BJP office on Ashoka Road in central Delhi where police had lobbed tear gas shells to disperse agitating students.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 28, 1990