Patna: Thousands of Dalit members on Monday staged protests across Bihar and Punjab on Monday against the dilution of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, disrupting rail and road traffic, police said.
With posters, banners and flags, supporters of the Bhim Army and other Dalit organisations in Bihar , halted over a dozen long-distance trains disrupting passenger mobility at Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Bhagalpur, Ara, Darbhanga, Araria, Nalanda and Hajipur railway stations.
Of Bihar's total 10.5 crore population, scheduled castes account for 15.5 lakhs.
In the north-west, Punjab was on high alert on Monday with hundreds of security personnel deployed ahead of a protest called by some organizations of the Scheduled Castes, objecting to the dilution.
The Punjab government on Sunday ordered a security clampdown across the state as a precautionary measure in view of Monday's protest.
The state has the highest concentration of scheduled castes among states. They constitute nearly 32 per cent of the state's 2.8 crore population.
Four battalions of the Rapid Action Force, four of Border Security Force, along with 12,000 additional police personnel will remain on duty Monday to maintain law and order in Punjab.
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Public transport, mobile connectivity affected
"Train services have been badly disrupted due to the protest, leaving hundreds stranded at railway stations," an East Central Railway official told IANS over the phone from Hajipur, the zonal headquarters in Bihar.
At some places, the protesters have also blocked national and state highways.
In Patna, hundreds of Bhim Army workers took to the streets to protest and enforce a shutdown.
According to reports, the protests were supported by the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal and left parties.
In punjab, reports said that some protesters tried to stop a train in Amritsar district on Monday morning but relented later following talks with railway officials.
Shops, educational institutions and other establishments are on a shut down mode following the possibilties of massive protests.
The final practical examinations of Class 10 and 12 of Punjab School Education Board, which were scheduled to be held on Monday, will now be held on April 11.
Mobile internet services in the state were suspended from 5 pm on Sunday till Monday evening to curb rumours on the social media, while all public and private transport will also remain suspended, an official spokesperson said here.
The Supreme Court had in an earlier order said that there will be no immediate arrest in cases filed under SC/ST atrocities act unless the charges are found true in an investigation.
The centre is set to file an affidavit in the court citing the problems in such an order that will dilute the legislation that has so far acted as a strong tool in the hands of the depressed castes to fight discrimination.