Dalit groups' Bharat bandh protest turns violent, leaves eight dead: Worst-hit regions across north India

Dalit groups launched vociferous protests throughout the country on Monday as part of a ‘bharat bandh’ agitation. The protests were held to oppose a recent Supreme Court ruling  that there should be no immediate arrest of public servants under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The protests turned violent in some parts of the country, with eight people losing their lives. Here is a roundup of incidents of violence which took place across the country. Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh , which saw six people die, was worst-hit by violence. The clashes led the state government to take a series of measures to bring the situation back to normal, including imposing Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in some districts, suspending internet services and calling in the Indian Army. Gwalior collector Rahul Jain confirmed the death of two persons in Gwalior city and one in Dabra township. Jain claimed that all three deaths were due to clashes and police was not involved. Inspector General (law and order) Makrand Deoskar told PTI that one person each died in Bhind and Morena districts during the violence. [caption id=“attachment_4415609” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Police personnel detain a protester in Gwalior. PTI[/caption] ANI subsequently reported that one more person died in Gwalior. A student leader, identified as Rahul Pathak, died in firing in Morena district, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Umesh Shukla said. Pathak was allegedly shot by agitators and he succumbed to injuries en route to hospital, he said. A person identified as Mahavir Singh (32), died in the firing in Bhind district where while two others suffered serious injuries and were referred to a hospital in Gwalior, Bhind’s chief medical and health officer JPS Kushwaha said. The state capital Bhopal also saw agitations taking a violent turn. Protesters blocked a road on the Board Office Square near the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar. More than two dozen vehicles were damaged, several of them torched by the protesters, eyewitnesses said. The large-scale clashes prompted Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to appeal for peace. In a video message, Chouhan said, “Madhya Pradesh is a region of peace, goodwill and social harmony. Some people have tried to disrupt this harmony. Some unfortunate events took place today. Strict action will be taken against the culprits. I appeal to you to maintain peace and goodwill, and not believe in rumours.”

प्रिय बहनों और भाइयों, मध्यप्रदेश शांति, सद्भाव और सामाजिक समरसता का प्रदेश रहा है। कुछ लोगों ने समरसता तोड़ने की कोशिश की है। आज कुछ दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण घटनाएँ घटी हैं। अपराधियों के खिलाफ कड़ी कार्रवाई की जायेगी। मेरी आपसे अपील है शांति, सद्भाव बनाये रखें। अफवाहों पर ध्यान न दें। pic.twitter.com/qi2yERxAyu

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) April 2, 2018

Uttar Pradesh One person was killed and around 75 others, including 40 policemen, injured in violent protests in several parts of the state. “During the bandh, violence broke out in Muzaffar Nagar, Hapur, Meerut, Agra, which were among the most severely affected areas. Reports of violence have come in from some other districts too. As of now, 448 persons have been detained in different districts. There were no incidents of violence in 90 percent of districts. We have sounded a high-alert in the state,” DIG, Law and Order, Praveen Kumar told reporters. One person died during the violence in Muzaffar Nagar, he added. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath also made a plea for violence to end: “Both the Centre and the state government are dedicated to the welfare of the backward castes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. If there is any issue, one can bring them to the notice of the government.” Rajasthan One person was killed and 26 others, including nine policemen, were injured in Khairthal in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. The 28-year-old deceased was identified as Pawan Jatav, son of a former sarpanch. Eighteen others injured were undergoing treatment at the hospital, including one policemen, Dr Bhagwan Sahay said. Khairthal police station SHO, Jitendra Kumar said that the police resorted to firing after a mob attacked and opened fire on them, while torching a vehicle and a store in the police station. He said that nine policemen, including one deputy superintendent of police, one head constable, and six constables were injured in stone-pelting. In Jodhpur, a police sub-inspector was seriously injured after being beaten up by protesters, a police officer said. Boiling water was poured on a shopkeeper who tried to open the shop in Dholpur, while in Ajmer, Bhim Sena workers attacked people of all age groups. Punjab Vociferous protests were seen across Punjab over the SC/ST Atrocities Act on Monday. In Bathinda, two people were injured in a clash between the protesters and shopkeepers near Mehna Chowk. In Kapurthala, protesters allegedly damaged about a dozen two-wheelers, smashed window panes of a lawyer’s car and vandalised a chemist shop, police said. The tense situation led the government to request for the postponement of the CBSE examinations. The state education department announced late Sunday that the final practical examinations of Classes 10 and 12 of the Punjab School Education Board will be conducted on 11 April instead of Monday 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 have been put on duty to maintain law and order, an official spokesperson said. Reasons for the protest According to the Supreme Court judgment, passed on 20 March, a preliminary probe by an officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent is required before arresting a public servant under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A bench of Justices Adarsh Goel and UU Lalit also said there shall be no absolute bar for granting anticipatory bail to public servants booked under the Act. However, the Opposition has rallied against the apex court verdict, asserting that it amounts to weakening the Act which is meant to protect marginalised communities from discrimination and identity-based violence. On 28 March, a Congress-led Opposition delegation met President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi and handed over a memorandum expressing their concern over the verdict. The Centre has now filed a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict. With inputs from agencies