'Bharat Bandh' witnesses good response in Rajasthan

Jaipur: The call for 'Bharat Bandh' given by several groups against the amendments in the SC/ST Act evoked a good response in Rajasthan where many shops and business establishments, schools and other educational institutions remained closed on Thursday.

The police said no untoward incident has been reported in the state so far.

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"We have deployed additional forces in the state and the local police is already on the roads in view of the bandh call. So far, no violence or any untoward incident has taken place and everything is under control and peaceful," Special DG (law and order) NRK Reddy told.

Shops were shut in Jaipur, Karauli, Pratapgarh, Udaipur, Pali, Nagaur and other districts. Schools too remained closed in view of the bandh.

Meanwhile, members of Samta Andolan Samiti, an organisation which campaigns for changes in the caste-based reservation system, alleged 'suppressive action' by the state government as the police detained their leaders.

"Our leaders were detained by the police which was an action to suppress our voices. We neither had any plan for violence nor we did anything which disturbed law and order, but the police took action," a Samta Andolan Samiti member Yogendra Singh said.

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DCP West Ashok Gupta said a leader of Samta Andolan Samiti, Parashar Narayan Sharam, and two others had been detained as a precautionary measure.

The bandh has been called against the parliament amendment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after some of its provisions were read down by the Supreme Court, which was construed as its dilution. (PTI)

• #Bharat Bandh
• #Amendment
• #Rajasthan
• #Madhya Pradesh
• #uttar pradesh
• #SC ST Act