GURUGRAM: At least six key intersections in the city, including Rajiv Chowk and Huda City
Centre, were choked on Monday morning, as large numbers of people took to the streets to
protest the Supreme Court’s decision to amend the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The protesters were split into two main groups, along with other splinter groups. One of the main groups met in Kamla Nehru Park and marched to the office of the divisional commissioner with a memorandum. Another rallied through parts of the old city, forcing shoppers to down shutters.
Dalit leader Satpal Tanwar said demonstrations were held in Sohna and Basai on the city’s outskirts, apart from Huda City Centre and Rajiv Chowk, where protesters staged sit-ins and blocked traffic in the afternoon.
At Rajiv Chowk, 400-500 protesters blocked the intersection on the carriageway towards Delhi, and blocked traffic for over 20 minutes, until senior officials, including the deputy commissioner, ADC, SDM and other senior police officials arrived to reason with the protesters.
SDM Sanjeev Singhla, who was the duty magistrate on the spot, said after the negotiations, the protesters sat on the service road. No force was used to remove them. After the hour-long blockade was removed, ACP (highways) Hira Singh joined state commandos, riot control force, and SHOs of several police stations to unlock the jam. A similar blockade also took place at Huda City Centre.
Residents of the predominantly Dalit colony at Kanhai, near Ardee City, also blocked access to the link road which connects the city to Faridabad. Around 40-50 people placed bamboo and furniture on the road. When Sector 40 SHO Sudhir Kumar tried to negotiate with protesters, one of them was heard telling him, “Most interview panels for jobs have upper caste people, and we’re not even considered for jobs.” Another protester, a woman said they were demanding for their right to fair treatment. “We want the government to know we exist, since this government has done nothing for Dalits. We continue to be treated worse than animals,” she said. Evidently, frustration was boiling over.
Officials however said Gurugram did not witness any violence, though traffic movement took a big hit.
Satpal Tanwar though disagreed with the police report, claiming the protest was not peaceful, as their lathis were snatched by police at Rajiv Chowk. “Protestors outnumbered police. This is the first time Dalits have united in such large numbers,” he said. “Ths Supreme Court’s
order is a Talibani firman. The government couldn’t do it themselves, so they got the court to amend the law. They filed a review petition only after seeing Dalits across the country mobilise,” he said.
Rajiv Chowk
