MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The affluent rural community took control of the Munak canal, the city’s main water artery last week, demanding that Indian authorities give their caste access to government jobs and education.
UK broadcaster BBC cited water Delhi board official Keshav Chandra, who said that millions were still without water in the capital despite the army retaking control of the canal earlier in the day. It will take three to four days for water supply to be fully restored, he added.
The Jat community has been traditionally regarded as upper caste, but has been demanding to be recategorized as an Other Backward Castes (OBC) group. This would include them in quotas for more stable government jobs and educational programs.
The national government initially granted them the OBC status in 2014, but the top court then overrode the decision, arguing that Jats were not backward.