The 'Bharat Bandh' call given by some groups against the amendments in the SC/ST Act had total effect in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. The bandh was by and large peaceful in the State.
Most private schools and petrol pumps in Madhya Pradesh remained closed Thursday, while markets and business establishments in parts of the state were shut. The bandh has been observed in a peaceful manner with no reports of violence or clashes so far.
The state government had imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC in all the districts of the state and security had been tightened as a precautionary measure.
The bandh has been called against the parliament amendment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after some of its provisions were read down by the Supreme Court, which was construed as its dilution.
Majority of private schools in the state remained shut, while in several districts including Bhind, Shivpuri and Gwalior, the local administration declared a holiday for educational institutions as a precautionary measure. Petrol pumps across the state have also been kept shut.
Brahma Samagam Sawarna Jankalyan Sangathan's national president Dharmendra Sharma said about 150 organisations of upper castes and OBCs are participating in the bandh. The bandh was effective in almost the entire state, especially Katni, Vidisha, Sehore, Dewas, Indore, Gwalior, Jhabua, Chhatarpur, Mandsaur, Sagar, Ujjain and other cities, he said. In Chhindwara, the Lok Sabha constituency of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, markets remained shut. "Local residents wore black clothes in protest and business establishments remained shut," Vyapari Sangh president Mahesh Chandak said.
Chhindwara Superintendent of Police (SP) Atul Singh said, "Police force was deployed in large numbers as a precautionary measure to avoid any untoward incident." Several people in Gwalior, Bhopal and other cities were seen sporting caps with 'Main hoon mai ka lal' (I am my mother's son) written on them. These words apparently referred to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's past statement- 'Hamare rahte koi mai ka lal aarakshan khatam nahi kar sakta' (No one can dare to end reservation as long as I am the chief minister).