Internet suspended, Meerut on high alert for Ambedkar Jayanti

Meerut had witnessed violent clashes during the April 2 Bharat bandh called by Dalit outfits to protest the alleged dilution of the SC /ST atrocities Act.

Meerut, which witnessed widespread protests by Dalits during the nationwide protests on April 2, is on high alert on Saturday the 127th birth anniversary of Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar .

A rangoli made as a tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, at a school in Mumbai. (PTI)

The security measures taken include blocking of internet services from 9 pm on Friday to 8 pm on Saturday, an official at the district magistrate’s office said.

The administration has identified 21 spots in Meerut city and 35 in rural areas as hyper-sensitive . The district has been divided into 22 sectors (12 in urban and 10 in rural areas) and each sector is under a circle officer and a magistrate who have local police and Rapid Action Force to assist them. The forces will trail the processions that will be taken out in the different parts of the district on Ambedkar Jayanti ,” the official said.

The west UP region, including Meerut, was rocked by violent protest during a Bharat bandh called by Dalit outfits on April 2 against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST atrocities act. One person each died in the clashes in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar . A police post was also set on fire in Shobhapur.

In the tension that followed , a Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Dalit worker was shot dead in Shobhapur village on April 4 .

The village has decide not observe any event on Ambedkar Jayanti as a mark of protest over the BSP worker’s murder.

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