Bharat Bandh against SC/ST Act amendment: Protests intensify across country, thousands take to streets

Prohibitory orders have been imposed under Section 144 in sensitive areas.
BHOPAL/PATNA/VARANASI: Demonstrators took to streets on Thursday morning, buring tyres and effigies and stopping trains, forcing locals to stay indoors during the ongoing Bharat Bandh on Thursday morning. Reports of violence emerged from parts of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Bandh is also being observed in Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
The bandh has been called by 35 outfits linked to the upper caste communities protest against the recent amendment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Security has been beefed up and prohibitory orders have been imposed under Section 144 in sensitive areas.
Here are the live updates of Bharat Bandh:
– Section 144 imposed in all districts of MP. Internet services stopped in few districts. Schools and colleges are closed. Petrol pumps to remain closed till 4 pm. Over 6000 security personnel deployed across state.
– Protests intensify in Jharkhand too. “Demonstrators stop public transport, and vandalising property,” say locals.
– Coaching institutes, markets and petrol pumps closed in Rajasthan’s Kota. Protesters give rose flowers to locals, asking them to support the bandh. No incident of violence reported from Rajasthan yet.
– Hundreds of protesters took to streets, some gathering in front of state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office, in Patna.
– Law enforcement agencies using drones are being used for surveillance in Gwalior.
-#Bihar: Protesters set fire to tyres in Mokama (pic 1) and block road (pic 3) in Badh during #BharatBandh protests. pic.twitter.com/RRUbZlMxRs
– In Uttar Pradesh, security has been beefed up across 11 districts including western UP region, Mathura, Varanasi. Shops and markets are closed in several districts. High alert sounded.
– Visuals of Bharat Bandh from Maharashtra.
– Madhya Pradesh most affected by the bandh, say sources.
-Visuals of #BharatBandh protest from Patna’s Rajendra Nagar Terminal railway station. The nationwide bandh has been called by various organisations against amendments in SC/ST Act. #Bihar pic.twitter.com/ksIVCEoewd
– “Forces have been divided judiciously across the districts. It has been peaceful till now. Nobody can force anyone to be a part of the bandh.” said MP Police.
– Protesters stop train in Darbhanga and Munger’s Masudan.
– Protestors burn tyres on roads in MP
– A high alert has been sounded 35 districts across MP. “34 companies of security forces and 5000 security personnel deployed. Section 144 imposed in several districts,” reported ANI.
-People in Varanasi hold protest during #BharatBandh called against amendments in SC/ST Act pic.twitter.com/wfSq80zVI3
– Demonstrators stop train in Bihar’s Arrah:
– Protesters burn effigies in MP and UP
– Cops carry out peace march in various parts of MP on Thursday morning.
– Police have asked to contact groups holding protests and carry out restrictive proceedings if needed, said senior law enforcement officer.
– Several districts in Bihar and Jharkhand effected by Bharat Bandh. Buses are not plying, passengers stranded.
– “There’s a complete bandh in Gwalior. Nothing is open. All shops are closed. Buses and autos are also not plying,” said a protestor.
– Jabalpur district collector Chhavi Bharadwaj has written to the state home department, seeking suspension of Internet services in the district till 6 pm on Thursday.
– Prohibitory orders imposed in Chhatarpur, Shivpuri, Bhind, Ashoknagar, Guna and Gwalior.
– “Through the social media and pamphlets, we came to know that some organisations are planning a Bharat Bandh against the amendments in the Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following which the security has been beefed up in the state,” Makrand Deuskar, Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) said.
– Schools will remain closed in Bhind district. Petrol pumps across the state will also remain closed. “We have decided to shut petrol pumps from 10 am to 2 pm tomorrow due to security reasons as some organizations have given a call for bandh,” Madhya Pradesh Petrol Pump Owners Association president Ajay Singh told PTI.
– At least 34 companies of the special armed force of police have been deployed in various districts. Security has also been stepped up in the Gwalior-Chambal region which considered a sensitive area. It witnessed large-scale violence on April 2 this year during the Bharat Bandh called by Dalit groups.