Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said two people hurled stones at his official car when he was leaving the secretariat building complex in Panipat today, but he escaped unhurt.
Vij, who was in Panipat to chair a grievance redressal committee meeting, said the car’s front glass pane was damaged in the attack.
“I was about to come out of the secretariat building complex in my car when the stones were hurled at the vehicle which broke its front pane. I and my driver were lucky to escape unhurt,” Vij told PTI over phone.
The accused, said to be mentally unsound, have been arrested, the Panipat police said.
The accused have told the police that they were protesting the “dilution” of the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The Supreme Court on March 20 diluted the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in a bid to protect honest public servants discharging bonafide duties from being blackmailed with false cases under the Act.
The court said government servants should not be arrested without prior sanction and private citizens too should be arrested only after an inquiry under the law.
But Dalit organisations, including the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, and opposition political parties fear the dilution of the provisions might lead to increase in violence against Dalits.
They have urged the BJP-led Union government to seek an immediate review of the Supreme Court judgement.
