Bharat Bandh today, authorities in Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh gear up to maintain peace
A nationwide strike, referred to as ‘Bharat Bandh,’ is scheduled for today, August 21, 2024, in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling on SC/ST reservations. The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, supported by SC/ST groups primarily from Rajasthan, has organized this protest.
Law enforcement agencies, particularly in Rajasthan, are gearing up to manage the bandh. The state's Director General of Police, UR Sahoo, has instructed district Superintendents of Police to ensure order and engage with local organizations. Sahoo emphasized the importance of holding meetings with the groups leading the bandh and market associations to foster better cooperation. The Supreme Court's decision to exclude the "creamy layer" from SC/ST quotas has triggered this unrest, leading to the call for a nationwide protest.
Police forces across Rajasthan have been directed to increase their presence and work closely with local SC/ST groups to ensure peaceful demonstrations. This Bharat Bandh follows other recent protests in India, such as the nationwide hospital strikes against violence on healthcare workers and local trade union actions in Bathinda, signaling growing socio-political tensions in the country.
The Bharat Bandh is expected to gain support from various social and political organizations, with the central issue being opposition to the Supreme Court's verdict on reservations. Western Uttar Pradesh has been identified as a particularly sensitive area, leading authorities to place police on high alert and implement extensive public safety measures.
The ‘Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’ has planned a day-long Bharat Bandh to protest the Supreme Court's recent judgment on reservations. On August 1, a seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud ruled by a 6:1 majority that states could further sub-classify Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to ensure quotas for more backward castes within these groups.
In response, the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organizations (NACDAOR) has issued a list of demands, including a reversal of the verdict. NACDAOR argues that the ruling threatens the constitutional rights of SCs and STs and calls on the central government to reject the judgment. Their demands include justice and equity for SCs, STs, and Other Backward Classes, the creation of a new Act of Parliament on reservations, the release of caste-based data on SC/ST/OBCs in central government jobs, a target of 50% representation for these groups in the higher judiciary, and the filling of backlog vacancies in central and state government jobs as well as public sector undertakings.