NEW DELHI: Anti reservationists Monday man- handled Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav and stoned his car as students in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan blocked traffic and boycotted classes to protest the government policy of reserving 27 per cent jobs for socially and economically backward classes.

A self-immolation attempt by a student of Hanumangarh in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan was foiled on Sunday ‘evening. The student, who was protesting against the reservation policy, was arrested, an official spokesman said.

A group of slogan-shouting students hurled shoes and stones at former federal minister Shared Yadav when he went to address a meeting at the Jawaharal Nehra University here, police said.

Reports of traffic blockades were received from Dharwar in

Kamataka, Orissa and Varanasi .where 11 students were a revised for blocking traffic.

‘While students blocked traffic in some places in South Delhi, the ‘National Students Union of India and he Akhil Bharatiya Vidyanthi Parishad (ABVP) Monday asked students to resist from indulging in street violence and demonstrations and asked them instead to begin a nationwide debate.

School, College and University students stayed away from class mate number of places in Haryana, In Punjab and Chandigarh students boycotted classes, forced closure of educational institutions, blocked roads and took out protest rallies, Some passengers of a bus were injured when agitators threw stones at them, Police used force to disperse the agitators who blocked traffic at important intersections of Amritsar.. ‘The leaders of the agitation have alleged that the Police Baton charged peaceful demonstrators and claimed at least 15 students ‘were injured.

MADRAS: Seven persons were killed and 45 others injured when state transport bus collided head- on with a private bus at ‘Naikarapatti on the Salem-Erode highway in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Friday.

Of the injured, 22 had been ad- mitted to a government hospital at Salem.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 4, 1991