Violence in Bihar, MP during bandh
HIGH TENSION Antireservation groups had called for the shutdown
PATNA/BHOPAL/JAIPUR: The Bharat Bandh on Tuesday was peaceful in most parts of the country except sporadic incidents of violence and disruption in road and rail traffic in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
The Union government had on Monday issued an advisory to all states to take precautionary measures in view of calls on social media for the ‘Bharat Bandh’ by various anti-reservation groups to protest clashes that claimed 11 lives during the April 2 shutdown by various Dalit organisations.
In Bihar’s Ara, 55 km west of state capital Patna, bandh supporters blocked roads. A district police officer said orders prohibiting assembly of more than four persons were imposed following clashes and firing between people supporting and opposing the bandh. “More than a dozen people were injured in the clash between supporters of the bandh and a pro-reservation group,” he said.
In Vaishali district of north Bihar, bandh supporters blocked the national highway (NH)-77 that links district headquarters Hajipur with Sonbarsa i n Saharsa district on India-nepal border. The bandh supporters also clashed with policemen at Lalganj, 23 km from Hajipur.
Incidents of violence were also reported from about half a dozen other districts of Bihar. At Muzaffarpur, a group opposing the bandh allegedly attacked a reporter of a local TV news channel, which was admitted in hospital in a serious condition.
MADHYA PRADESH
In Sidhi district, the police had to fire teargas shells and use lathicharge to disperse a crowd that allegedly indulged in stone-pelting. Seven persons were injured, including three police personnel, police said.
Sidhi superintendent of police, Manoj Shrivastava, said a large number of bandh supporters had gathered at the city’s Ambedkar statue, shouted slogans and threw stones at the police. “We used mild force to disperse the crowd,” the SP said.
On April 2, eight persons died in violence during the Bharat Bandh allegedly between Dalits and upper castes in the GwaliorChambal area. On Tuesday, all educational institutions and markets remained closed in the region as the government had deployed security personnel in most parts of the state.
Home minister Bhupendra Singh personally monitored the security arrangements and alleged that the April 2 bandh resulted from a well-planned conspiracy, so this time, they were extra vigilant.
RAJASTHAN
In Rajasthan, several cities remained shut on Tuesday, including rural parts of Jaipur, to protest against the violence on April 2 that claimed one life in the state.
“We had not given permission to anybody to take out a rally or procession. Some 4-5 people in Baran, claiming to be from Shiv Sena, said they’ll shut down the city. We rounded them up on Tuesday morning. One person was picked up in Jaipur on Monday night for the same reason,” said additional director general of police, law and order, NRK Reddy.
On April 2, violence was reported from several parts of the central and northern India. No major incident was repo- rted from these regions on Tuesday.