Bharat bandh today, vigil up

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 8

Even though the administration and the police across the Doaba region have geared themselves up ahead of the nationwide bandh call by Dalit organisations for Thursday, no political party, including the Bahujan Samaj Party, has announced any plan to hold a protest.

The police, however, are taking all precautions as a protest over the issue of dilution of the SC/ST Act by the Supreme Court on March 20 had led to violent incidents on April 2.

Unlike the earlier bandh, which was supported by the ruling Congress government in the state, SC leaders of the Akali Dal and BSP among other Dalit bodies, not even a single memorandum regarding plans of any demonstration or closures has been received by the police and civil authorities this time.

Akali MLA Pawan Tinu, who openly supported the protesting community leaders last time, said, “The Lok Sabha has now passed The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill-2018 to subvert the SC order regarding safeguards against arrest under the law. So, there is no point of supporting the protest this time.”

Bahujan Samaj Party state chief Rachhpal Raju said the party was not organising any demonstration on Thursday.

Jalandhar Police Commissioner Parveen Sinha said, “Since we do not have any prior information from any organisation regarding bandh, we will not allow any forcible closures tomorrow. In any case, we have talked to many local Dalit groups and leaders, but none has confirmed taking out any protest march.”