NEW DELHI, Feb 25, (APP/AFP) – The death toll from caste
unrest in northern India has risen to 28 but violence has subsided, officials said Thursday, as a court asked authorities to investigate
reports of molestation during the riots.
Large-scale violence gripped northern Haryana state at
the weekend after the Jat caste led protests to demand preferential treatment in government jobs and education.
On Wednesday the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the
government to investigate alleged incidents of violence after
media reports said at least 10 women were molested by Jat rioters
in Sonipat district.
“Twenty-eight people have died and over 200 have been
injured by police firing and otherwise,” P.K. Das, additional
chief secretary for the Haryana government told AFP.
No violence has been reported in the state in the last
two days, all roads have been secured and the situation is
slowly returning to normal, he said.
Rioters set fire to nearly 50 cars on a key highway
connecting the state to New Delhi during the protests, forcing
their occupants to flee, media reports said.
Das said that preliminary investigations had yet to find
evidence of any violence but that authorities stood ready to
investigate.
Authorities issued shoot-on-sight orders in several
state districts at the weekend as thousands of rioters ran
amok, setting fire to buildings and looting shops.
Protesters blocked road links to the Indian capital
and severely damaged a canal that provides two-thirds of
the water to Delhi’s 17 million residents.
New Delhi sent thousands of army and paramilitary troops
to quash the unrest.