KALABURAGI: The bandh call given by Dalit organisations to condemn the statement by Home Minister Amit Shah about Dr BR Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha brought Kalaburagi city to a halt on Tuesday.
The atmosphere in the city was tense with sporadic incidents of stone pelting in some areas and protestors burning hundreds of tyres on major roads.
While some business establishments stayed shut voluntarily, many did not open their shutters fearing violence as activists of the Dalit Sangharsha Samithi moved around in vehicles along the main roads and interior areas of the city, blocking roads and ensuring that shops were closed.
The activists set on fire at least 500 tyres in parts of the city, creating a tense atmosphere. Even children were seen blocking roads and asking shop owners not to open shops. In stone pelting incidents, the windshields of a lorry were damaged. Stones were also thrown at several cars. However, no casualties have been reported.
The protesters burnt photos of Shah in several areas of the city. A procession was taken out carrying an effigy of the home minister from Nagareshwara School to Mini Vidhana Soudha. They shouted slogans against Shah, demanding an apology from him for insulting Ambedkar and urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack him from the cabinet.
The activists submitted a memorandum addressed to the PM to the Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner.