'Bharat Bandh': Home ministry issues advisory, security forces on alert nationwide

The Home Ministry has directed a nationwide advisory to make sure that sufficient security is deployed to ensure that things don't go out of control during the strike-call todayagainst the policy of caste-based reservation in education and jobs.

The bandh(strike) has now spread in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh after eight days in which nine people have lost their lives due to the violence during protests by the Dalit community demanding dilusion of the SC/ST Act.

The strike has not been called by any prominent outfit. The Ministry of Home Affairs has said that the district magistrates and SPs will be personally held responsible for any violence in their area of jurisdiction.

An official of the MHA said the ministry has issued an advisory to all states to take necessary precautionary measures in view of the calls on social media for the shutdown on April 10.

"The MHA has advised the states to beef up security and make appropriate arrangements to prevent any untoward incident, including the issue of prohibitory orders, if necessary," the official said.

The states have been asked to intensify patrolling in all sensitive locations so as to prevent any loss of life or damage to property. There will be no procession, public gathering tomorrow. Range IGs, district SPs, police commissioners have been given clear instructions to take prompt action against any such activity.

Security sources said calls for the so-called anti-quota bandh started circulating through social media, including various WhatsApp groups, after the protest on April 2 against the Supreme Court order mandating stringent safeguards before the SC/ST Act can be invoked.

Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed in Jaipur city. Mobile internet service has also been blocked for 24 hours in Jaipur from tonight as a precautionary measure, the official said. Officials today said that they had been paying particular attention to messages being circulated on social media platforms.

Security across Madhya Pradesh was also beefed up in the wake of a shutdown call. Officials said the call has been a social media-fuelled one and no organisation had come forward so far to claim responsibility for it.

Police are also on alert in Punjab, where anti-riot squads have also been deployed, and Haryana, where last week’s bandh led to clashes in Kaithal town. In Jharkhand, apart from alerts against any rally or procession, police are keeping a watch on various social media platforms to track calls for a bandh.

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.

In Gujarat, there have been no open calls for a bandh although Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani has already warned of a “counter protest” on April 14.