Hoshiarpur/Jalandhar, Sep 10 (PTI) Markets and shops remained shut in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar areas on Thursday following a ‘bandh’ call by various Valmiki and Dalit organisations to protest the alleged desecration of Dr B R Ambedkar’s statue at Jalandhar bypass chowk in Ludhiana.
The bandh call was from 9 am to 5 pm.
All shops and business establishments in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar cities remained closed. However, essential and emergency services, including hospitals and chemist shops, continued to function.
A seven-hour bandh was observed in Ludhiana on Wednesday.
Workers of Valmiki and Dalit organisations, led by leaders including Tarsem Babbu of Valmik Sabha, Hoshiarpur, and Binder Saroia of Sri Guru Ravidas Tiger Force, gathered at the clock tower in Hoshiarpur and took out a protest march through the bazaars, raising slogans against the alleged incident.
Dalit leaders Vikas Hans, Kamal Bhatti and Rishu Adia were among those participating in the protest.
Some activists also moved around the city on scooters and motorcycles to ensure that the ‘bandh’ was observed.
Police personnel were deployed at various places in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar to avert any untoward incident.
The bandh remained peaceful, and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the city, officials said.
Members of the Valmiki community from Garhdiwala, led by activist Sabi Malik, gathered at the Garhdiwala bus stand and staged a ‘dharna’, disrupting traffic on the Dasuya-Hoshiarpur road.
Workers of the Bhagwan Valmik Dharam Rakhya Samiti, led by Doaba Zone president Sandeep Kumar Kaka, staged a ‘dharna’ and blocked traffic on the Hoshiarpur-Dasuya road at T-Point Hariana by parking motorcycles in the middle of the road, they said.
The protests followed an incident in which unidentified persons allegedly desecrated a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar at Jalandhar bypass chowk in Ludhiana on Tuesday evening, triggering anger among members of the Valmiki community.
Vikas Hans of the Valmiki Dharam Raksha Samiti condemned the incident and said the alleged act had caused resentment among members of the Valmiki community.
He said the alleged insult to Dr Ambedkar, who had made a significant contribution towards the rights of people from all sections of society, would not be tolerated.
The protesters demanded that the police identify and arrest those responsible for the incident at the earliest and take strict action against them after a thorough investigation. PTI COR CHS MPL MPL
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