India witnessed a nationwide shutdown today, August 21, as Dalit and Adivasi groups called 'Bharat Bandh' to protest the recent Supreme Court ruling on SC/ST reservations. The apex court stated that states can create sub-categories within Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) for the purposes of reservation.
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The ruling by the top court has sparked widespread protest from the opposition and several organisations, including Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. Many roads have been blocked in the country today.
In a video shared by news agency PTI, a group of Bhim Sena members blocks a road during the 'Bharat Bandh' in Bihar's Sheikhpura district.
In another clip shared by news agency ANI, Bharat Bandh supporters block the NH 83 in Bihar's Unta district. The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has demanded justice and equality for SCs, STs, and OBCs. NACDAOR urges the government to reject the ruling and calls for a new law on reservations, protected by inclusion in the Ninth Schedule.
They also demand the release of caste-based data, filling backlog vacancies, and 50% SC/ST/OBC representation in the judiciary. They have called for a peaceful protest on Wednesday.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday backed the day-long Bharat Bandh called by some groups over community-based reservation, noting that "public movements" put a check on "unbridled government".
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister took to social media platform X to share his views on the issue. "The mass movement to protect reservation is a positive effort. It will instill new consciousness among the exploited and deprived and will prove to be a shield of people's power against any kind of tampering with reservation. Peaceful movement is a democratic right," he posted in Hindi.
"Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar had already warned that the Constitution will only work if the intentions of those implementing it are correct. When the governments in power will tamper with the Constitution and the rights given by it through fraud, scams and scandals, then the public will have to take to the streets. Public movements put a check on unbridled government," Yadav added.
Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for a Bharat Bandh on Wednesday against the Supreme Court's August 1 decision.