Vehicles set on fire by a group of protesters during 'Bharat Bandh' call given by Dalit organisations against the 'alleged' dilution of Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes Act, in Meerut on Apr 2, 2018. (Image: PTI)
Dalits lead nationwide protests against SC judgment
NEW DELHI, APRIL 2 (IANS/ANI): Nine persons were reported to have been killed and countless injured as Dalit protests during a day-long nation-wide shutdown on Monday turned violent in India amid anger against a Supreme Court order that dilutes a law aimed at preventing atrocities against Dalits and Tribes.
The government, in a bid to pacify the agitated activists, said it had filed a petition in the apex court seeking a review of its March 20 order that bars automatic arrest and registration of cases for alleged harassment of Dalits and others. But the top court denied an urgent hearing of the matter.
Protesters clashed with police in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha -- states where normal life was paralysed in varying degrees amid incidences of violence and arson.
The central government rushed 800 anti-riot policemen to violence-hit Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
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A bike set on fire by a group of protesters during 'Bharat Bandh' call given by Dalit organisations against the alleged dilution of Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes Act, in Ghaziabad on April 2, 2018. (Image: PTI)[/caption]
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Members of Dalit community stage a protest during 'Bharat Bandh' against the alleged 'dilution' of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Act by Supreme court, in Bikaner. (Image: PTI)[/caption]
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Members of Dalit community raise slogans during 'Bharat Bandh' against the alleged 'dilution' of Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes act, in New Delhi. (Image: PTI)[/caption]
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Police personnel fire tear gas shells to disperse the protestors during 'Bharat Bandh', call given by Dalit organisations against the alleged dilution of Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes Act, in Ranchi. (Image: PTI)[/caption]
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Hundreds of protesters stop a train during 'Bharat Bandh' call by Dalit organisations against the alleged 'dilution' of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes act, in Moradabad. (Image: PTI)[/caption]
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Protesters throw stones during 'Bharat Bandh' call given by Dalit organisations against the alleged dilution of Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes Act, in Ghaziabad. (Image: PTI)[/caption]
A Home Ministry official in Delhi said two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were sent to Meerut and one company each to Agra and Hapur in Uttar Pradesh.
Clashes turned deadly in Madhya Pradesh where six persons were killed and dozens injured, forcing officials to impose curfew in Morena, Gwalior and Bhind districts. One each was killed in Rajasthan's Alwar, Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar and in West Bengal’s Debra.
Protests were also held Bhopal as agitators blocked roads in the state capital. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made a passionate appeal for peace.
Gwalior District Magistrate Rahul Jain told IANS that at least 22 persons were injured, some critically, in clashes in his district, where prohibitory orders banning large gatherings were also imposed.
Punjab and Haryana also saw widespread protests.
Shops, educational institutions and other establishments remained closed and Class 10 and 12 examinations were deferred in Punjab, which has the highest concentration of Scheduled Castes, constituting nearly 32 per cent its 2.8 crore population.
Hundreds of protesters carrying swords, sticks, baseball bats and flags forced shopkeepers and other establishments in Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda too shut down.
Protests also took place in Rohtak and other towns of neighbouring Haryana.
In Bihar, activists disrupted rail and road traffic. Mobs shut down markets and shops as well as educational institutions, police said.
Supporters of the Bhim Army and other Dalit outfits halted over three dozen long-distance and local trains, stranding thousands of passengers.
Violence was reported from Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Nawada, Patna and Bhagalpur when protestors clashed with police.
Violence also erupted in parts of Uttar Pradesh as protesters attacked shops, looted some and pelted stones at police in Hapur, Agra, Meerut, Saharanpur and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.
Many cars were targeted and their window panes smashed. At some places, government property was targeted.
Some people reportedly fired at a police team in Meerut while a passenger bus was set on fire.
Also in Meerut, over 500 Dalit youths targeted the media and broke their cameras as they were trying to photograph the protests.
Gujarat's major towns and cities also saw protests by Dalits amid reports of vandalism from Ahmedabad and Jamnagar.
Amid widespread anger and violence, the Modi government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court to seek recall of its judgment that ruled that there would be no automatic arrest of an accused following a complaint moved under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The Supreme Court had held on March 20 that police will hold an inquiry to ascertain the veracity of the complaint filed under the act before acting on it.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government "with due respect, does not agree with the reasoning given by the apex court".
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Jodhpur: Jodhpur Police personnel baton charge protesters during 'Bharat Bandh' against the alleged 'dilution' of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Act by Supreme court, in Jodhpur on Monday. (Image: PTI)[/caption]
Centre urges SC for review of judgment regarding SC/ST Act
New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) The Centre on Monday moved the Supreme Court to seek recall of its judgment that ruled that there would be no automatic arrest of an accused following a complaint moved under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The Supreme Court had held on March 20 that police will hold an inquiry to ascertain the veracity of the complaint filed under the Act before acting on it.
The Centre pleaded that working of the law would be adversely affected as action on a complaint has to be proceeded by an inquiry.
The court had also said that before action against a government employee against whom a complaint has been filed for something he did in the discharge of his official duties, the prior sanction of higher authorities is a must.
In the case of common people, the complaint would be examined by the Senior Superintendent of Police in a district.
