Decoding Bharat Bandh: Countrywide Dalit agitation against SC ruling has resulted in violence
The blue wave cometh.
Dalit groups across the country have taken to the streets, declaring a “Bharat Bandh” in response to the alleged “dilution” of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, after the Supreme Court on March 20, 2018, banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal cases under the legislation which seeks to protect members of scheduled castes and tribes against discrimination and abuse.
On the one hand, Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, under pressure from both the Opposition and within the NDA announced that the government does not agree with the Supreme Court's decision and has filed a strong, comprehensive review petition. (Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi had said, “It is in the DNA of the RSS/BJP to keep Dalits at the lowest level in Indian society. Anyone who challenges this thought is crushed with violence. Our Dalit brothers and sisters are today on the streets demanding protection of their rights from the Modi Government. We salute them.”)
On the other hand, the agitations on the street have taken a turn for the violent.
Madhya Pradesh
As per reports, the protests have left four dead in Madhya Pradesh's Morena, adding that curfew had been imposed in the area. In Madhya Pradesh, curfew was also imposed in parts of Gwalior and Section 144 (prohibiting assembly of more than four people in the area) in Sagar. Madhya Pradesh's Bhind also witnessed stone pelting and vandalism. Shots were also fired during protests in Gwalior.
Punjab
In Punjab, the Amarinder Singh government has stepped up security measures, including deferring the CBSE Class 10 and Class 12 examinations. "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 , 2018 in the state of Punjab," it said in a statement issued late in last night. The Punjab government also ordered the suspension of bus services and mobile internet services.
Delhi and Uttar Pradesh
As per a PTI report, Dalit protesters squatted on tracks in several places outside Delhi, stopping trains, including the Dehradun Express and the Ranchi Rajdhani, as part of their agitation. 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.
Clashes also broke out between the protesters and the police in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Mobs also disrupted trains at the Hapur station, where the movement of many goods trains were affected.
Other states
And not just MP, things are far from calm across the country. In Jaipur, Rajasthan, a showroom was vandalised. In addition, clashes between the protestors and the police broke out in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Protestors in Odisha's Sambalpur blocked the movement of trains. As violence remains unchecked, reports suggest that at least three people, including two policemen, were injured during a “lathi charge” in Ajmer, Rajasthan after the protestors attacked first with stones.
Reports also suggest that a youth died in police firing in Alwar and internet services have been suspended in the area.
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While there has been criticism for the arson, the vandalism and the violence, the “Bharat Bandh” in general has received the support of many. After all, atrocities against Dalits, Bahujans and Adivasis in the country have certainly seen a spike — it is hard to deny this sad reality considering the year began with mass violence against Dalits in Bhima-Koregaon.
The merits, demerits and the inconveniences of a countrywide “bandh” can debated all day long. What is, however, more important, is to understand the potential harm caused by the Supreme Court in its attempt to “prevent misuse of law”.
The SC/ST Act remains in place because of millennia of systemic oppression that continues to make its presence felt even in this supposed “post-caste” India of 2018.
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