Bharat Bandh: Nine killed as Dalit protests turn violent in several states
New Delhi, Apr 2 (IBNS): At least nine people died as the 'Bharat Bandh' called by several Dalit organisations over the Supreme Court’s alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act turned violent in several parts of India on Monday, media reports said.
Madhya Pradesh has been the worst hit with six people being killed in the state alone. According to reports, three people died in Gwalior, two in Bhind and one in Morena.
In Uttar Pradesh, two people died as a result of the massive protests by Dalit groups while one was killed in Rajasthan.
After the day-long violence, curfew was imposed in several places and over 400 people were arrested in Uttar Pradesh alone.
A former BSP MLA was also among those arrested in UP, media reports said.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday evening informed that it is closely monitoring the situation in the wake of bandh and protests in the country.
The Ministry is in constant touch with the states.
"Whichever state has asked for Central Forces, they have been made available immediately," the Ministry said in a statement.
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have so far requested for Central Forces.
Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CAPFs have been made available.
The Ministry has asked the states to take all preventive measures and maintain public order and ensure the safety of lives of people and property.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan has urged people to maintain peace.
The unrest was reported from several parts of the nation on a day when the Centre filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking a review on its verdict on the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Protesters in several parts of the country clashed with the police and blocked railway tracks and highways.
Demonstrators also put several vehicles on fire in these bandh-hit areas.
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 earlier attacked some police officials trying to clear a traffic jam in Uttar Pradesh's Ferozabad.
The Delhi-Dehradun highway was 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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