The Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur cities of the Doaba region, home to nearly 45% of Punjab’s Dalit population, observed a complete shutdown on Thursday over the recent incident of defacement of Dr BR Ambedkar’s statue in Ludhiana.
All business establishments, including markets and shops remained shut in both cities after various Dalit organisations gave the call for bandh from 9 am to 5 pm, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused behind the statue’s defacement.
The protesters also blocked traffic on the Dasuya-Hoshiarpur road, causing hardship to commuters.
However, essential and emergency services, including hospitals and chemist shops, continued to function normally. Even schools and colleges remained open.
The bandh remained peaceful, and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the districts, with heavy police force deployment in place.
Vikas Hans of the Valmiki Dharam Raksha Samiti said the act had caused resentment among members of the Valmiki community.
“Any insult to Dr Ambedkar, who made a significant contribution towards the rights of people from all sections of society, will not be tolerated. We demand the police identify and arrest those responsible for the incident at the earliest and take strict action against them after a thorough investigation,” he said.