The protestors are demanding a review of the recent Supreme Court order in the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
New Delhi: A number of Dalit organisations called for a Bharat Bandh Monday to protest against the recent Supreme Court order in the SC/ST Atrocities Act, which many claim has diluted the act. Violent protests were reported in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha.
In Punjab, there were rallies in many places and the state government ordered the closure of educational institutions, suspended bus services, and curtailed mobile and internet connectivity. Protests were also witnessed at Ambala and Rohtak in Haryana, as well as in the common capital of the two states, Chandigarh.
In Odisha, vehicular movement was affected in several areas including Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, Sambalpur and other tribal-dominated districts, police said. Buses also remained off the roads in Biramitrapur, Malkangiri, Kalahandi and Bolangir.
In Bihar, protestors stormed the Patna Junction where they forced closure of ticket booking counters and squatted on railway tracks, disrupting movement of a number of trains.
In Rajasthan, protestors gathered at major roads in the state capital leading to traffic snarls, while incidents of stone pelting and damage to public property were also reported, police said. Nearly 30 people — 20 from Ajmer and 10 from Jaipur — were detained after protestors damaged public property, they said.
In Delhi, the protesters, who were demanding that the provisions related to immediate arrest be restored, gathered at Mandi House and blocked the road outside the metro station there, bringing traffic to a halt and inconveniencing commuters travelling towards ITO and other stretches.
Protestors torched two buses and pelted stones on vehicles in several parts of Uttar Pradesh. Protests turned violent in several districts including Agra, Hapur, Meerut in West UP and Azamgarh.
The Supreme Court on 20 March diluted the provisions of the Act and said government servants should not be arrested without prior sanction and private citizens, too, should be arrested only after an inquiry under the law.
Rahul Gandhi says BJP, RSS to blame
Congress president, Rahul Gandhi came to Twitter in the support of the Dalit community and blamed the Modi government for their plight.
“It is in the DNA of the RSS/BJP to keep Dalits at the lowest level in Indian society. Any one who challenges this thought is crushed with violence”, Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
He further added, “Our Dalit brothers and sisters are today on the streets demanding protection of their rights from the Modi Government. We salute them.”