Bharat Bandh: Mayawati condemns violence during Dalit protest
Lucknow, Apr 2 (IBNS): Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati condemned the widespread violence which left five people during the Bharat Bandh called by several Dalit organisations on Monday.
"I support the protest against the SC/ST Act. However, I have got to know that some people spread violence during the protests, I strongly condemn it," Mayawati told media.
The BSP chief said her party was not involved in the violence which swept across several north Indian states.
She said strict action should be taken against those behind the violence.
"Strict action should be taken against those who spread violence," she said.
At least five people were killed as 'Bharat Bandh' called by several Dalit organisations turned violent in several parts of India on Monday.
The unrest was reported from several parts of the nation on a day when the Centre file a petition with the Supeme Court seeking a review on its verdict on the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
According to reports, Madhya Pradesh bore the brunt of the violence as two persons were killed in Gwalior in clashes while one protestor died in Bhind and another in Morena.
One more death has been reported from Rajasthan.
Violence also erupted in Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, hitting normal life in the states.
Protesters clashed with the police and blocked railway tracks and highwatys in several of these states from where violence has been reported.
Demonstrators also put several vehicles on fire in these bandh-hit areas, reports said.
According to reports, hundreds of protesters carrying swords, sticks, baseball bats and flags forced shopkeepers and other establishments in Punjab's Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda to shut down.
Army and paramilitary forces were asked to be on standby in Punjab, where schools and colleges remained shut, with internet services suspended from 5 pm Sunday to 11 pm Monday
Several people were injured in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, after protestors clashed with the police. The protest turned violent in Barmer in Rajashtan, where cars were set on fire and properties were damaged. The agitators damaged cars in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, too.
An irate mob of Dalit protestors is learnt to have attacked some police officials trying to clear a traffic jam in Uttar Pradesh's Ferozabad.
The Delhi-Dehradun highway has been completely blocked by agitators that has now left thousands stranded on the roads.
According to reports, protesters pelted stones in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra and Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind, while shops were vandalised and railway tracks blocked in Jaipur. .
Protesters squatted on tracks in several places outside Delhi, stopping trains, including the Dehradun Express and the Ranchi Rajdhani. Train Services were disrupted when a mob arrived at the Ghaziabad yard. Many trains, such as Saptakranti Express, Utkal Express and the Bhubaneswar and Ranchi Rajdhani as well as the Kanpur Shatabdi, were stopped ahead of Ghaziabad in Meerut and Modinagar, officials said.
A mob of about 2,000 people disrupted trains at the Hapur station as well, disrupting the movement of many goods trains.
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