In Bihar's Ara district protestors stopped trains on Tuesday to observe the Bharat Bandh call on Tuesday. People blocked markets, traffic, roads and forced people to shut down their shops in Patna, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Muzafffarpur, Bhojpur, Sheikhpura and Darbhanga districts, according to IANS.
After calls for Bharat bandh by some faceless groups on social media against caste-based reservation, the Union Home Minister has asked states to beef up security on Tuesday.
The bandh is being seen as a counter to the protests by the Dalit groups on April 2 against the recent Supreme Court order which many perceive as a dilution of their constitutional safeguards provided in the SC/ST Act. The protests became violent and nine people were killed and several injured. The apex court has however refused to roll back its decision after the Centre filed a review petition.
Markets in Jhalawar, Rajasthan shut during protests against caste-based reservations, protesters held a bike-rally, ANI reported.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, ahead of the country-wide shutdown. Schools for students of Class I to IX remain closed as a precautionary measure in Uttar Pradesh.
The home ministry advisory also said Districts Magistrates and police chiefs will be personally held responsible for any violence in areas under their control, reported NDTV.
Section 144 of the Cr Pc has been imposed in Jaipur and Bhind and mobile internet service has also been blocked for 24 hours in Jaipur from tonight as a precautionary measure.
The 'Bharat bandh' call was made on social media only and not many organisations have come out so far come forward to support it, the official said.
On Tuesday, curfew will be in place from 7am to 9pm in Morena. “We have no information about the organisations which has given the call for this bandh. Night curfew that started on April 2 continues," said Morena collector Bhaskar Lakshakar.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bhopal, Dharmendra Dubey said that social media messages were being monitored and warned that those spreading hate messages would be booked under section 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.
Ajatshatru, Divisional Commissioner of Bhopal said that prohibitory orders under section 144 had been clamped in the city for Tuesday but services including schools, government offices and banks would operate as usual.
Sudhir Lad, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Chambal range said that curfew would be effective in Bhind from 9 pm today to 6 pm tomorrow to avoid any untoward incident. Four people had died in Bhind in violence during the April 2 shutdown.
A resident of Shobhapur village in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut on Monday claimed that after the Bharat Bhandh protest, the Dalit families are migrating from the area as they are living in fear.
Agency Inputs
