No arrest without investigation under SC/ST Act in Madhya Pradesh, says CM Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that no one will be arrested without investigation under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in Madhya Pradesh.

Interacting with the media in the tribal Balaghat district during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra, Chouhan also said that he won’t allow misuse of SC/ST Act in MP.

Later, Chouhan in a tweet reiterated,” MP mein nahi hoga SC/ST Act ka durupyog, bina janch ke nahi hogi giraftari (SC/ST Act will not be misused in MP and arrests will not be made without investigation)

एमपी में नहीं होगा SC-ST ऐक्ट का दुरुपयोग, बिना जाँच के नहीं होगी गिरफ़्तारी।

— ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) September 20, 2018

Chouhan’s words come at a time when the Parliament, overturning a Supreme Court ruling, passed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018, that rules out any provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of atrocities against SC or ST communities.

Of late, the ruling party leaders are facing opposition from the upper-castes over the SC\ST Act all over the state.

However, when asked whether he was proposing to bring in a change in the law Chouhan said, “Nirdesh jari karna paryapt hai iske liye. Samaj ke har warg ka kalyan hoga. Samanya, pichhda, SC and ST, sabke adhikar surakshit rahenge and sabko nyay milega. (Just giving direction is enough. We will work for the welfare of all categories. The rights of General, OBC, SC and ST will be protected and everybody will get the justice.).

Samanya Pichchda Alpsankhyak Adhikari Avam Karamchari Sangh (SAPAKS) state president Kedar Singh Tomar said, “Nothing is going to happen with this verbal assurance. Under this law they have taken away the basic human right of the people from general, OBC and minority communities, as they don’t get a chance to present their side. Now, seeing the anger among the people, they are changing their stand. Our protests will only end after change in the Act.” SAPAKS is one of the organisations that has been opposing the bill.

MP Congress spokesperson JP Dhanopia said, “Chief Minister Chouhan has no authority to say what he did. Moreover, he was first in favour of changing the SC’s decision that had put some safeguards against automatic arrest under the law, and now he wants the SC’s version of the law, as he is rattled by the opposition to the law. He is misguiding the people by giving such loose statement.”

BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai maintained that the chief minister has not said anything that is against the law, parliament or SC.

First Published: Sep 21, 2018 09:54 IST