One killed in MP during Bharat bandh, violence in several states ; Centre files moves SC for reviewing order on SC/ST Act
New Delhi, Apr 2 (IBNS) : One person was killed in Madhya Pradesh as a Bharat bandh, called by Dalit organisations, began on Monday protesting the Supreme Court order on the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 while the Centre moved the to court seeking a review of its verdict, media reports said.
According to reports, one person was killed in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena as protests by Dalits turned violent. Curfew was imposed in at least three towns in the state, including Sagar and Gwalior.
Reports of violence during the Bharat bandh poured in also at least from four other states- Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan Punjab with the state police intervening at several places.
About a dozen Dalit orgaisations, spearheading the agitation, have alleged that the apex court's order has diluted the SC/ST Act.
Meanwhile, Union Information Minister Ravishankar Prasad announced that the Centre has filed a review petition with the apex court.
"I wish to convey that today we've filed a petition on the judgement by Supreme Court on the SC/ST act. We have filed a comprehensive review petition which will be presented before the court by the senior lawyers of the government," he said.
The petition will be taken up for hearing later in the day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The apex court on March 20 had issued amendments to the SC/ST Act, striking down the provision of immediate arrest. The two-judge bench also issued a ruling allowing the accused to seek anticipatory bail.
The SC ruling came while hearing a plea of Subhash Mahajan, former technical education director, who was charged under the Atrocities Act based upon the complaint of his subordinate.
The bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Uday Umesh Lalit contended with Mahajan's petition that the law was abused to prosecute him.
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