Amid protest against the Supreme Court’s decision to permit the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), a daylong nationwide strike called by Dalits and Adivasi communities led to partial disruption in rail and road services in the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan on Wednesday, evoked a mixed reaction.
The response was tepid in other parts of the country.
The bandh was by and large peaceful with some sporadic incidents of violence. Several videos of cops lathicharging protesters were doing the rounds on the Internet. One such video from Bihar’s Patna has grabbed eyeballs after a policeman accidentally hit a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) with a baton while managing law and order in Patna.
The bizarre incident occurred at the busy Dak Bangla square in Bihar’s capital city. Having broken barricades at the JP Golambar intersection, the protesters reached Dak Bangla, where, to control the situation, security forces resorted to a lathi-charge. In a viral video, the policeman is seen hitting Khandekar, who was in civil dress, with a stick. While the SDM is taken aback, the erring policeman is taken away by his colleagues, who tell him about the mistake. The SDM identified as Shrikant Kundlik Khandekar.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra described the incident as a human error, and said the police officer did not recognise the official. The Patna District Administration later confirmed that the incident was an honest mistake and said no disciplinary action will be taken against the police officer.
Meanwhile, the response to the Bharat Bandh or pan-India shutdown has been largely mixed; its maximum impact was seen in Bihar, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. As many as 21 organisations including the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) have called for Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court’s decision to permit the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Left parties, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Bahujan Samajwadi Party have extended support to the nationwide bandh.
In Jehanabad district, clashes occurred between protesters and security personnel on National Highway-83 near Unta Chowk, leading to the detention of five persons. In other districts, including Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Begusarai, Hajipur, and Purnea, protesters attempted to block traffic and burned tyres, but were quickly dispersed by security forces.At Darbhanga and Buxar railway stations, a large number of protesters halted the Bihar Sampark Kranti and Farakka Express trains, following which the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and district police were deployed to cleared the stations.East Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Sharswati Chandra confirmed that train services were disrupted in Ara, Chausa (Buxar), Darbhanga, Begusarai, and Rajgir, but the situation was promptly controlled.
The bandh had little impact on normal life in Uttar Pradesh, even as Dalit groups and political parties held demonstrations and marches in parts of the state. A group of protesters held a march and raised slogans in Agra. BSP workers disrupted traffic on MG road, climbed atop the gate of the collectorate and raised slogans. They also tried to shut shops in the city. The protesters presented a memorandum to the district magistrate. In Lucknow, traffic was affected on key routes in and near Hazratganj as BSP workers held a demonstration. In Kanpur, some shops near the BSP’s office were closed while public buses plied as usual. Similar scenes were witnessed in Unnao, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Sambhal, Jalaun, Etawah, Mathura, Hathras and Gorakhpur, among other districts.
The bandh has voked a mixed response in Chhattisgarh, barring tribal-dominated regions. Several shops and commercial establishments remained closed in parts of Bastar and Surguja divisions, largely inhabited by tribals, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Dhamtari districts. The shutdown evoked a mixed response in Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Korba districts. Bastar Division comprises seven districts and Surguja Division six districts.Transport services largely remained unaffected. Schools, hospitals and other essential services were kept out of the bandh ambit. In Dantewada district headquarters, a huge motorcycle rally was organised by members of Sarva Adivasi Samaj (SAS), an umbrella body of tribal organizations.
In Jharkhand, vehicular movement was briefly disrupted as several public buses stayed off the roads and schools remained closed. Vehicular movement was affected as protesters burnt tyres and put up blockades at various places in Ranchi. The bandh supporters were also seen asking shopkeepers to down shutters in the state capital. Reports of road blockades were also received from Palamu, Godda, Dumka, Garhwa and other districts. Chief Minister Hemant Soren has also cancelled his visit to Palamu on Wednesday due to the strike.
Rajasthan also evoked mixed reaction where markets remained closed and public transport services were partially affected. Many markets across the state remained closed in view of the bandh call. While essential services were kept out of the bandh, public transport remained unaffected in the morning. Many other markets in areas like Tonk Road, Bajaj Nagar, Jhotwara, Khatipura and Malviya Nagar were also closed.
In Gujarat, the effects of the bandh were clearly seen in regions dominated by tribal and Dalit communities in districts like Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Surendranagra, Sabarkantha, and Aravalli where markets in cities and semi-urban areas remained closed.Protesters blocked a goods train in Wadhwan taluka of Surendranagar district and shouted slogans, with the police reaching the site to disperse the crowd.
Police managed to persuade the protesters to allow the train to ply. The train moved after a forced halt of around an hour and a half and went towards Bhavnagar.Protesters at Bhiloda and Shamlaji in Aravalli district blocked roads. Several of them were detained in Patan and Aravali districts while trying to enforce the bandh.Shops downed shutters in the main markets in Bhiloda and Shamlaji, with groups taking to the streets to hold demonstrations amid tight police presence. Similarly, the impact of the bandh call was seen in the towns of Idar and Vijaynagar in the Sabarkantha district where markets, schools and colleges remained closed, with the authorities ordering heavy police deployment to maintain law and order.
