Bharat Bandh: Shivraj assures strict action, urges people to avoid rumours

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], Apr. 2 (ANI): In the aftermath of the violence that took place in Madhya Pradesh earlier today, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured strict action against the perpetrators.

The Chief Minister, in a video message, also urged people to not pay attention to any kind of rumours.

"Few unfortunate incidents took place today. Strict action will be taken against those responsible. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and harmony, and not pay attention to rumours. It is the government's responsibility to ensure safety and security to all sections of society," he said.

Protests erupted in different parts of the country against the Supreme Court ruling which called for a dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Earlier in the day, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad confirmed that the government filed a comprehensive petition which would be presented before the top court by senior lawyers. He further said the government didn't agree with the SC's ruling and that there was no intention of changing the provision of reservation for minorities.

Even after the Centre's review petition in the matter, a storm of outrage seized many parts of the country, including Bihar, Punjab, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, which saw angry protestors resorting to the destruction of private and public property to send their message of disapproval to the legislature and judiciary.

In Madhya Pradesh, at least six people died as the nationwide bandh called by various Dalit outfits against the dilution of the SC/ST Act turned violent.

Meanwhile, two people lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh and one in Rajasthan. (ANI)