Violent protests erupted in various parts of Haryana on Monday during a nationwide bandh called by Dalit outfits against the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, leaving several persons including security personnel injured and disrupting normal life in the State.
Despite the deployment of police forces to thwart any untoward incident during the agitation, the dalit protestors turned violent destroying and damaging Government and private property, blocked trains and forcibly shut down shops in various parts of Haryana.
Incidents of violence were reported from Faridabad, Bhiwani, Karnal, Hisar, Yamunanagar, Kaithal, Jind, Fatehabad among other places. At several places, mob clashed with police personnel who had to resort to firing in the air, lathicharge and used tear-gas shells to disperse the protestors.
The protest was called by dalit organisations across the country against the recent Supreme Court ruling diluting the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.
Protest marches were taken out by dalit activists at Panchkula, Ambala, Kaithal, Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Yamunanagar, Bhiwani, Sirsa, Faridabad, Gurugram, Jind, Fatehabad in Haryana as well as in Chandigarh. Shouting slogans of Jai Bhim, hundreds of protestors were seen carrying swords, sticks, baseball bats and flags during the protest marches. They burnt effigies of the NDA-led Centre, alleging it had failed to protect the interests of the Dalits.
Markets across the state wore a deserted look as shops and other commercial establishments remained closed due to agitation. At Kaithal in Haryana, a protesting mob resorted to stone pelting and damaged a railway engine, police said. Prior to that, they protestors had marched through the streets after which there were some reports of alleged vandalism at Kaithal.