Metros overlook Bharat Bandh, town life suffers

The nationwide anti-quota bandh called by various groups on Tuesday — the second Bharat Bandh in a month — this time against reservations in jobs and education evoked mixed response. Called largely through social media, the bandh turned out to be a damp squib on the ground.

While shops remained closed in some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, there was no response in metros in contrast to the 1990 anti-Mandal agitation, when Delhi had taken centrestage. Political parties and their leaders distanced themselves from the stir fearing it may invoke the wrath of Dalits and other backward sections.

Authorities in Bhopal clamped curfew in Morena and Bhind, besides enforcing prohibitory orders in Gwalior, Bhopal, Sagar and some other sensitive towns. Over a dozen people were injured in clashes in Bihar as some groups tried to enforce the bandh to protest reservation in jobs and education. Supporters of the strike, mostly from upper castes, blocked roads and railway tracks and forced markets to shut down in nearly half-a-dozen districts.

In Hajipur, junior Union Minister for Human Resource Development and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha was manhandled by bandh supporters. Kushwaha, who was on his way to Motihari to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Satyagrah se Swachhagrah" event, was stopped by agitators. Kushwaha, who hails from the OBC community, was asked to step out form the car and raise slogans against reservation.

In Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan — three other states that witnessed violence last week during a bandh call by Dalit groups — security was beefed up following an advisory from the union home ministry. "We are monitoring the situation. There has been no impact of the alleged bandh so far. The state police is also keeping a watch on the social media," Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said. The internet services too have been blocked in the Gwalior-Chambal region to prevent rumour-mongering, officials said.

In Rajasthan, the state government has issued prohibitory orders and blocked cellphone and internet services in the state capital as precautionary measure. The police chiefs and collectors of districts across the state have been asked to take prompt action if any nuisance is created, officials in Jaipur said. The effect of bandh was seen in Sikar, Shrimadhopur, Jalore, Hindaun, Alwar and several other districts in the first half of the day. However shops were opened and life returned to normalcy in the later half of the day.

Some shops remained closed in Jaipur owing to the bandh. Areas like Jhotwara, Khatipura, Vaishali Nagar, Shyam Nagar, Raja Park, Shastri Nagar and various other residential areas were devoid of the usual movement of public as seen during other days. "We had instructed that no rallies would be taken out in Jaipur but yet a few men tried. They were arrested. Majority of Udaipur range, Jodhpur range, Ajmer range were peaceful. No violence or law and order situation occurred anywhere in state" said NRK Reddy, additional director general (Law and Order), Rajasthan Police.

In Gujarat the bandh call turned out to be a damp squib. However, some of the markets remained close for some time in Idar and Khedbrahma towns of Sabarkantha district. In Uttar Pradesh also internet services were suspended in Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Hapur. In Firozabad district, the administration asked schools to remain closed as a precautionary measure.

On Monday, the Union home ministry advised all states to strengthen security after intelligence inputs fearing large scale violence. The ministry advisory said district magistrates and police chiefs will be held personally responsible for any violence in areas under their control. On April 2, widespread violence flared up across five states as Dalit groups called for a Bharat bandh in protest against a Supreme Court order.