Supporters of the Bhim Army blocked railway tracks in Arrah as part of the Bharat Bandh called in response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on SC/ST reservations (PTI).
Dalit and Adivasi groups have organized a nationwide strike today to protest the Supreme Court’s decision allowing the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). A total of 21 organizations have called for this Bharat Bandh, with Left parties, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) all pledging their support.
Early morning footage from ANI showed members of the ‘Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’ protesting in Patna, where demonstrators also blocked NH-83 in Jehanabad. OTV shared visuals of protests at Bhubaneswar railway station, which caused disruptions to rail services.
The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has expressed concern that the Supreme Court verdict threatens the constitutional rights of SCs and STs. NACDAOR has called for the government to enact a new law on reservations for SCs, STs, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), proposing that it be protected by inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. While the judgment aims to provide more benefits to the most marginalized groups among Dalits, some Bahujan leaders and activists worry it could undermine efforts to build a united Dalit movement.