One killed as Dalit protests turn violent in Rajasthan

Yash Goyal
Jaipur, April 2 

One person was killed and two others were wounded in police firing during Monday’s protests against the Supreme Court’s decision to dilute the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities), 1989.

Twenty-five policemen were wounded in violence outside Kherthal Thana.

Armed with sticks, firearms, and sharp-edged weapons, thousands of protesters vandalised and set vehicles ablaze, damaged government property, and forcibly closed down a local bazaar.

Protesters surrounded police stations in Alwar and pelted them with stones.

Police were forced to open fire when some protesters forced their way into Kherthal Thana, Additional Superintendent of Police, Rural, Mool Singh Rana.

Of the three people wounded in the police firing, one—27-year-old Pawan—died on the way to a hospital, while two others were taken to Jaipur’s SMS Hospital, the police officer said.

Similar violent protests were also reported from Barmer, Sikar, Bharatpur, Jodhpur, Bhilwara, Dausa, Bikaner, Sirohi, Pali, and Churu. 

Also on Monday, thousands of protesters holding banners of Dalit organisations gathered at Sanjay Circle to march to Ram Niwas garden.

Internet services were suspended in most districts that witnessed violence, a police spokesman said. Only essential services, including medical shops, functioned.

The protests led to disruption of train services on the Jaipur-Kota and Jaipur-Delhi via Alwar routes. 

Northwest Railway cancelled three trains on Jaipur-Alwar-Bharatpur route and short-terminated five, including Ajmer-New Delhi Shatabdi, and Jaipur-Allahabad trains.