The Bharat Bandh called by several tribal and social groups against the Supreme Court’s order of evicting tribesmen and forest dwellers from their natural habitat failed to hamper daily life in Ranchi on Tuesday. Barring a few stray incidents of bandh protestors forcefully shutting down educational institutions in the city, the bandh passed peacefully, police said.
Though the apex court stayed its order following a plea from the centre, several tribal outfits across the country see it only as a temporary reprieve and fear eviction from their forests in future.
Members of the Adiwasi Chatra Sangh (ACS), a student organization that supported the bandh on Tuesday, stalled classes at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University in the afternoon. Some protestors also tried to forcefully shut shops in parts of Ranchi but their efforts were foiled by the police. Some of the protesting tribal groups in Ranchi also demanded scrapping of the 10% reservation for low income families proposed by the centre in the interim budget
The city traffic was unaffected by the bandh and ran normal throughout the day. Public transport too remained unaffected. Some protestors gathered at the Albert Ekka Chowk with banners and placards demanding assurance on their rights over forests and land. However, no violence was reported from any part of the city.