SC/ST Act: Protests erupt in Punjab, Haryana; CBSE postpones exams : The Tribune India

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SC/ST Act: Protests erupt in Punjab, Haryana; CBSE postpones exams

CHANDIGARH: Dalits took out a protest march at many places in Punjab on Monday to protest against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act, even as the state government ordered closure of educational institutes, suspended bus services, and curtailed mobile and internet connectivity.

SC/ST Act: Protests erupt in Punjab, Haryana; CBSE postpones exams

SC community members protest in Chandigarh. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar



Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 2

Dalits took out a protest march at many places in Punjab on Monday to protest against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act, even as the state government ordered closure of educational institutes, suspended bus services, and curtailed mobile and internet connectivity.

The protests were also witnessed at Ambala and Rohtak in Haryana as well as in Chandigarh.

Amid tight security arrangements, the Dalits held protests at Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Bathinda, Amritsar and Ferozepur in Punjab against the “dilution” of the Act.

The Supreme Court had on March 20 diluted certain provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, in a bid to protect ‘honest’ public servants discharging bona fide duties from being blackmailed with false cases under the Act.

The verdict is being widely criticised by the Dalits and the Opposition who claim that the dilution of the Act will lead to more discrimination and crime against the backward community.

The Congress-led Punjab government had on Sunday ordered a security clampdown as a precautionary measure, while the Army and paramilitary forces have been asked to be on standby to prevent any exigency.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had ordered that schools, colleges and other educational institutes would remain shut on Monday, while the Internet services were suspended from 5 pm on Sunday till 11 pm on Monday.

CBSE postpones exams

Meanwhile, the CBSE postponed Class 12 and Class 10 examinations scheduled to be held on Monday in Punjab at the request of the state government in view of the Bharat Bandh.

“Taking cognisance of the letter of the director general (school education), the CBSE decided to postpone all Class 12 and 10 examinations scheduled for April 2 in Punjab,” it said in a statement issued on Sunday night.

“Exams will carry on as per schedule in UT of Chandigarh and rest of the country,” it said.

In a later development, the education department said the final practical examinations of Classes 10 and 12 of the Punjab School Education Board will be conducted on April 11 instead of April 2.

Train services hit 

Phagwara: Road and rail traffic remained badly affected in the region due to the demonstrations during Bharat Bandh call on Monday. Railway sources said 74951/74954 Jalandhar-Jejon train, 2411 Chandigarh-Amritsar Train, 4506 Nangal Dam-Amritsar train, 2013 Delhi-Amritsar Shatawadi Express train, 2241 Chandigarh-Amritsar train,14650 Amritsar-Jainagar Shaheed Express train, 4505 Amritsar-Nangal Dam, 2412 Amritsar-Chandigarh Express Train were cancelled on Monday.

Sources added that Amritsar-bound 13049 UP Howrah Express train was stranded at Phagwara Railway Station, 12497 Shan-e-Punjab Express  was terminated at Khanna,12029 Shatawadi Express was cancelled between Ludhiana and Amritsar, 18109 Tata Express was sent via Pathankot, 12920 Malwa Express held up in Ambala Division, 12925 Pashchim Express at Shahbad Markanda, 11057 Safer Express held up at Kila Raipur, Janayak Express, Jansewa Express, Akal Takht Express near Ambala, while 2715 Sachkhand Express was stranded near Agra, Haridwar-bound Janshatawadi Express train was stranded near Kartarpur. All trains are stranded till filing of this report.

Transport takes a hit

Public and private transport remained off the road.

“Buses run by the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), Punjab Roadways, PunBus, and private operators will remain off the road during the bandh. Banks, too, will remain closed,” an official spokesperson said.

The orders were issued after the Chief Minister reviewed the security arrangements with top police and administration officials on Sunday evening.

Chief Minister makes appeal

The chief minister appealed to the protesters not to take law into their own hands, obstruct transport movement or harass commuters.

He also appealed to them that the mortal remains of the 38 Indians killed in Iraq which were expected to arrive in Amritsar on Monday, be allowed to be transported to their native villages without any impediment.

As part of the elaborate security measures, four battalions each of the Rapid Action Force and the Border Security Force, and 12,000 additional police personnel would remain on duty to maintain law and order, an official spokesperson said. With PTI

HIGHLIGHTS

In Chandigarh, SC organisations protested at Hallo Majra Chowk.

In Patiala, SC community members gathered near Fountain Chowk and Budha Dal Complex. They wanted to take out a protest march on streets. But police tried to persuade them to follow the prescribed route. Shops in main bazaars of the city were closed.

The Patiala-Chandigarh highway was blocked by a few protesters. Police reached the spot.

A procession by Dalit youths was taken out on city roads. Many of them were armed with sticks and bricks.

There was tension in Bahadurgarh as protesters were adamant on blocking the highway while police tried to divert them to inside areas.

In Ferozepur, a shop was damaged in the Cantonment area. Around 1,500 people carrying sticks and swords took out a procession in various parts of the town.


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In Jalandhar, all important intersections, including Maqsudan Chowk, Workshop Chowk and Company Bagh Chowk, were closed. The railway track was blocked at Ram Nagar crossing. The Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road was blocked at Nasrala. Akali MLA Pawan Tinu addressed a dharna of protesters at Ravidass Chowk in the city. Thousands of protesters observed the bandh in various areas of the city throwing life out of gear for residents and commuters. Protesters raised slogans. Tyres were burnt at every 500 metres, from PAP Chowk to Bidhipur on the Amritsar highway.

A protest march was taken at Kapurthala. Protesters indulged in stone-pelting at the Dominos’ Ramneek Nagar outlet.

In Ludhiana, factory workers on way to work were stopped by protesters and told to go back. All shops and markets were shut. Hundreds of protesters on motorbikes reached the mini-secretariat. They raised anti-government slogans. Samrala Chowk was blocked.

In Moga, there was a complete shutdown. However, no untoward incident was reported. Markets remained closed at Ropar.

There was tension in Phagwara as Dalits held a protest march and burnt effigies of PM Narendra Modi. Five Dalits sat on an indefinite hunger strike near the bus stand in Phagwara.

The Indo-Pakistan bus service was also disrupted. The Lahore-bound bus was stranded at Sirhind and the Delhi-bound bus at Amritsar.

Tension prevailed in Bathinda on Monday morning as protest against dilution of the SC/ST Act turned violent with two people getting injured in a clash between the protesters and shopkeepers near Mehna Chowk.

The trouble broke out when a group of protesters were forcing traders in Mata Rani Gali to shut their shops, to which the latter resisted. The protesters then damaged a two-wheeler parked outside one of the shops. It led to a heated argument, after which the two groups entered into a confrontation, leading to head injuries to two people.

The police have arrested the troublemakers. 

Earlier in the morning, the protesters damaged a shop at the AC Market and forced the traders to shut their commercial establishments.

A group of protesters armed with lathis and swords passed through commercial areas like Dhobi Bazaar, Bank Bazaar and Sirki Bazaar, asking the traders to down their shutters to support their Bharat Bandh call.

The protesters also had an argument with the police and civil administration officials who reached the spot to calm down their frayed tempers. Police force has been deployed in various parts of the town to ensure that the bandh remains peaceful. The roads wore a deserted look with buses off the road and residents preferring to stay indoors.

In Sangrur and Barnala districts, almost all towns were closed.

Vijay Sahni, a local SAD leader while leading a protest march in Sangrur, said, “It’s injustice with the SC community and we are requesting shopkeepers to support our agitation. We are getting good response as all shops are closed.”

Almost all shops in Sangrur, Dhuri, Malerkotla, Barnala and other parts of both districts were closed. Shopkeepers were sitting in front of their shops.

It led to inconvenience to patients as all medical shops and laboratories were closed.

“Not a single shop is open. I do not know what will happen to my friend if we fail to arrange medicine,” said Anil, a youngster standing at a closed shop near Sangrur civil hospital. His friend, Raman met with an accident near Sangrur Bypass on Monday morning.

In Handiaya of Barnala, shopkeepers had opened some shops, leading to heated arguments with protesters.

Protesters took out a protest march in Panchkula. Brandishing lathis, they held the march. They were accompanied by motorcycle-borne cops.

In Panipat, the Insar market was closed. In Karnal, activists from various SC organisations forced traders to close their establishments. Congress state president Ashok Tanwar was likely to join the protest. Later, the protesters reached National Highway-44 at Nirmal Kutiya Chowk. They were heading towards Sector-14 Chowk.

In Yamunanagar, protesters burnt an effigy of the government. In Rohtak, members of the SC community staged a demonstration. Protesters forced people to shut down shops and other commercial establishments in Kurukshetra. However, Kurukshetra University functioned normally.

In Hisar, the CM attended the chaukidar convention as Dalits resorted to demonstration leading to a complete bandh in the town. In Sonepat, protesters, including women, organised a protest march from the bus stand to the mini-secretariat. In Panipat, traffic was disrupted as members of various SC/ST organisations protested on NH-1.

In Faridabad, traffic was disrupted at several places for up to 30 to 40 minutes since morning due to protests. There was a minor scuffle in the NIT area resulting in injuries to some people.

In Shimla, SC organisations blocked Cart Road for a while causing inconvenience to the commuters.

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