Bhubaneswar: The nationwide strike called by several Dalit organisations demanding reforms in Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, paralysed normal life in various parts of Odisha on Monday.
The effect of the strike was prominent in western Odisha districts like Kalahandi and Balangir where almost all shops and other commercial establishments remained shut while vehicles stayed off the roads.
In Kalahandi, members of a Dalit organisation staged a road blockade by burning tyres at Bhawanipatna College Square and picketed at different places.
Similarly, a group of Adivasi Dalit Sena activists staged a rail roko at Khetrajpur railway station in Sambalpur and detained the Sambalpur-Rayagada trains.
Representatives of different Dalit organisations also blocked roads near Vani Vihar, Jayadev Vihar and Acharya Vihar Squares in Bhubaneswar and many other parts in Cuttack. However, the bandh evoked partial response in the twin cities.
“The Central Government should ensure that rights and interests of people belonging to Dalit, SC, ST, Minority communities and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are protected. Appropriate measures should be put in place to prevent atrocities and violence against them”, a Dalit leader said in Bhubaneswar.
The Adhikar Surakhya Manch, Adivasi Mulabasi Banchao Manch and JMM have extended their support to the bandh call.
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