Bharat Bandh: Punjab to shut down schools, colleges, universities, banks and public transport on Monday

Punjab Government has decided to suspend the services of public transport across the state on Monday, also schools, colleges, universities and banks will remain closed.
Rapid Action Force personnel stand guard in wake of Bharat Bandh on April 2 against the dilution of provisions of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act in Amritsar on Sunday. (PTI file photo)
Rapid Action Force personnel stand guard in wake of Bharat Bandh on April 2 against the dilution of provisions of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act in Amritsar on Sunday. (PTI file photo)

CHANDIGARH: In view of the Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court's order diluting the Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Punjab which has the highest SC population in India (35 per cent), the Amarinder Singh government has decided to suspend the public transport services across the state on Monday.

Also, schools, colleges, universities and banks will remain closed. The mobile internet services have been suspended besides heavy security forces on stand by since Sunday.

Speaking to Express, an official said that the during bandh the PRTC, Punjab Roadways and PunBus Buses would not ply on roads. He also said that Mobile Internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA), SMS services and all dongle services, except voice calls in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab would be suspended from April 1, 5 pm to April 2, 11 PM as per orders issued by the state home department. 

Meanwhile, Punjab Education Board (PSEB) has cancelled its exams and postopned the practicals, but the CBSE and ICSE exams will be conducted as per schedule. The new schedule will be declared later. The message in this regard has been sent to all the district education officers from the Secretary, PSEB, Mohali, Hargunjit Kaur.

Sources said that besides the police force deployment, 12,000 additional police personnel have been kept on standby to avoid any untoward incidents. The state government has asked the army to be on standby. The state has a history of anti-caste drives, when Mangoo Ram Mugowalia organised Dalits, who then started calling themselves ad-dharmis in 1920s.

Appealing to keep peace, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh yesterday asked the members of SC community to keep restraint and maintain law and order in the larger public interest.

A few dalit organisations had given a countrywide bandh call to register their protest on the apex court’s order that protects public servants from arbitrary arrests under the Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. This verdict is being contemplated as diluting the act and thus it is feared that it will lead to more discrimination among the SC and ST community.

National Scheduled Castes Alliance decided to participate and support the Bharat Bandh. Paramjit Singh Kainth, president of the alliance said, "Punjab has the largest population of Scheduled Castes and also 4 Members of Parliament, 34 MLAs are from the community. They should stand with the community."

The Union government has already decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against this March 20 order.

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