Dalit and tribal organizations had called for a bandh on August 21 in protest against a Supreme Court decision related to quota in quota. Normal life was affected in some states but in most places the impact was mixed. There were several major demands and problems behind the bandh, which were an attempt to bring to the attention of the people.
It had a mixed impact in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and other states. Clashes were also seen between police and protesters at some places in Bihar.
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The effect of Bharat Bandh was not seen in the capital Delhi as well. For example, the market association had already decided regarding this bandh that the markets in Delhi will remain open. This is what happened. Here more or less 700 markets including Kashmiri Gate, Chandni Chowk, Khari Baoli, Naya Bazaar, Chawri Bazaar, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh, Kamala Nagar, Connaught Place, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar remained open.
There was no significant impact of Bharat Bandh in Punjab and Haryana
An appeal for Bharat Bandh was made in Punjab and Haryana, but it did not have much impact. There was no major disruption in normal life, business activities continued as usual. There was no significant impact on public transport services and roads also remained open as usual. Most educational institutions and government offices also remained open.
The effect of Bharat Bandh was seen in Rajasthan
Many SC/ST groups in Rajasthan had extended their support to the bandh. Following the call for Bharat Bandh, holidays were declared in schools in five districts of Rajasthan including Jaipur, Dausa, Bharatpur, Gangapur City and Deeg.
Protests and marches in UP, no significant impact on normal life
Demonstrations and marches were organised during the Bharat Bandh in Uttar Pradesh. Despite the processions taken out on the streets by various organisations on their respective issues, life went on as usual. There was no significant impact on the opening of markets and schools and colleges. The police remained vigilant to maintain law and order and no untoward incident was reported. At some places, the police was also seen controlling the crowd.
Lathicharge on protesters in Bihar
During the Bharat Bandh in Bihar, attempts were made to block roads and railway tracks at various places. To control the crowd, the police team resorted to lathicharge, in which some protesters got injured. Due to traffic jam and disruption in train services, common people had to face some trouble here.
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Road and rail services partially affected in Odisha
Road and rail services were partially affected due to Bharat Bandh in Odisha. Various organizations and political parties took to the streets with their respective issues, which affected transportation for some time. However, normal life remained normal and the bandh appeal had no significant impact on shops and businesses.
Bharat Bandh has mixed effect in Jharkhand
In Jharkhand, the Bharat Bandh called on the issue of SC-ST reservation had a mixed effect. In some districts, the bandh received widespread support, which affected local markets and transport services. In other districts, the bandh appeal was almost unsuccessful and normal life was not affected. The police monitored the situation and controlled minor incidents.
Why was Bharat Bandh announced?
The Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti had called for the protest against the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on reservation, which said that states should identify ‘creamy layer’ among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and exclude them from quota benefits.