Violence sweeps state, foreigners attacked
BARMER UDAIPUR AJMER JAIPUR
NORMAL LIFE PARALYSED Demonstrators take to streets to protest alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act; internet services have been indefinitely suspended in Jodhpur rural, Jalore, Jaisalmer, Sirohi and Pali ; Section 144 imposed in Phalodi
: The Bharat Bandh called by Dalit organisations to protest the alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act witnessed violence across the state on Monday.
Internet services have been suspended in Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Alwar and Sikar from 1 pm to 8 pm. While in Jodhpur rural, Jalore, Jaisalmer, Sirohi, Pali and Barmer districts internet services have been indefinitely suspended and Section 144 has been imposed in Phalodi town.
Protesters clashed with police in different parts of the state where normal life was paralysed in varying degrees amid incidents of violence and arson.
JODHPUR/UDAIPUR/KOTA/AJMER/ BHARATPUR
BHARATPUR
Dalit protesters took out a rally in Bharatpur with sticks and iron rods, forcing shopkeepers to shut shops. They also pelted stones at passengers at the central bus stand in Bharatpur.
Nearly 25 protesters were detained in Deeg after they pelted stones at the police and vandalised Rajasthan Roadways buses.
Bharatpur SP Anil Kumar Tank said that additional superintendent of police of Bharatpur Suresh Kumar Khinchi, along with five police officers were injured, during the stone pelting at the Akhadd intersection. Some policemen were injured in Deeg when they were trying to control the situation as protesters pelted stones.
Protests also blocked the road from Bharatpur to Kumher at the Kanjoli Line, stopping even ambulances. Some protesters blocked the Agra-Jaipur national highway at Saras intersection and burnt tyres there.
In Karauli’s Hindaun town, protesters pelted stones on a private bus carrying tourists from Australia. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident. They also vandalised the Hindaun railway station on the Delhi-Mumbai rail route.
In Dholpur, protesters pelted stones at the ancestral palace of chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
Bharatpur divisional commissioner Subir Kumar said district collectors and superintendent of police of four districts in the division – Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur – were directed to maintain law and order during the nationwide bandh.
JODHPUR
The bandh turned violent as protesters pelted stones on the police for about an hour. The police lathicharged and lobbed tear gas shells to contain the situation.
Protesters carrying sticks and flags forced shopkeepers to down the shutters. The protesters also gathered at Jalori Gate Circle, where they burned tyres and blocked the way to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, inconveniencing patients.
At the Nai Sadak Circle and the district collectorate, thousands of protesters continued protesting throughout the day. Some protesters blocked a train and broke the glass of the engine at Bhagat Ki Kothi station.
Later, the police took the protesters away. Angry protesters resorted to stone pelting at the police. AJMER
Protesters in Ajmer looted a shop and vandalised several others in the Bhunabhay area of the city.
Police resorted to lathi-charge at several places to control the unruly mob. Several persons were injured, including six police officers.
“Police intervened only after the mob restored to violence and looted shops and hurled stones at the police,” said Durg Singh, CO Ajmer (North).
More than 50 Bheem Sena workers, including former Congress minister Rajkumar Jaipal, former Ajmer Mayor Kamal Bakolia, were rounded up by the police.
In Pushkar, shopkeepers and Bheem Sena workers entered into pitched battle after the former ordered them to close shops forcibly. A large police force was deployed in Pushkar and other parts of the city to maintain law and order.
The Bheem Sena workers also vandalised several shops and torched vehicles. Two cars were set ablaze in Pushkar. Reports of violence also poured in from various parts of Nagaur district.
UDAIPUR
Markets in Udaipur city remained closed on Monday in support of the Bharat Bandh.
Protesters took out a rally through the city which ended in a sit-in outside the office of the district collector. They shouted slogans against the government for allegedly diluting provisions of the Act. They handed over a memorandum, addressed to the PM , to the district collector.
On Sunday, representatives of various Dalit groups held a meeting to chart out the strategy for the bandh on Monday. Heavy police force remained deployed at various areas of the city to prevent any untoward incident. Vandalism and arson were not reported from any part of the city, the police said.
Udaipur additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Brijesh Soni said the bandh in Udaipur was largely peaceful barring some stray incidents of minor violence. Four additional SPs and five deputy SPs supervised the security arrangements in the city.
KOTA
Contrary to reports of violence from other parts of the state, the Kota division, comprising Kota, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar, remained largely peaceful. Most markets, school and commercial institutions voluntarily closed down in support of the bandh. Stray incidents of scuffle were reported at a couple of places.
Most of the city markets remained closed although the Kota Vyapar Mahasangh had not given a call to support the bandh.
Only a few shops remained open and no violence was reported anywhere barring a couple of incidents where shopkeepers locked horns with the bandh supporters in Chhawani and Vigyan Nagar area.
Petrol pumps remained closed for two hours from 10 to 12 pm on Monday.