Punjab on lockdown ahead of bandh call
CHANDIGARH: In view of a bandh called by a number of Dalit organisations on Monday to protest the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act, the Punjab government has ordered a security clampdown as a precautionary measure. The Army and paramilitary forces have also been asked to be on standby.
The CBSE has also postponed the board exams scheduled for Monday. However, exams will continue as scheduled in Chandigarh and rest of the country. Schools will remain shut and buses off the road. Mobile internet services in the state have been snapped from 5 pm on Sunday in a bid to check rumour mongering on social media.
All public and private transport will stay off the road during the bandh to prevent any unto- ward incident, the spokesperson said. The orders were issued after chief minister Amarinder Singh reviewed the security arrangements with top police and administration officials in the evening.
Security forces conducted flag marches at some places in the state as a precautionary step.
Elaborating on the precautionary measures taken by the government, the spokesperson said four battalions each of the Rapid Action Force and the BSF, and 12,000 additional police personnel will remain on duty to maintain law and order.
Buses run by the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), Punjab Roadways, Pun Bus, and private operators would remain off the road during the bandh, the spokesperson said.
“Punjab being a key route for transportation of essential provisions to the armed forces at the borders, any disruption on the highways could seriously hamper the supply of the necessary supplies,” he added.
Asking security forces to deal with an iron hand any attempt to disturb peace and harmony in Punjab, the CM appealed to the outfits, which have called the bandh not to take the law into their own hands.
The chief minister also appealed to the protesters to ensure that the mortal remains of the Iraq victims, which are expected to arrive in Amritsar on Monday, are allowed to be transported to their native villages without any impediment.