NEW DELHI: Two students were killed on Tuesday in Patna, raising the total toll to ten so far, as the nearly a month old anti reservation stir kept growing in dimensions and violence.
In Bhubaneswar in Orissa, where earlier six people died in the aftermath of police firing on September 1, a hundred Congress I leaders and workers were arrested when they defied prohibitory order.
In the capital, the AntiMandal commission forum gave a call fora 50hour Delhi Bandh from September 6. The forum also called for observance of teachers’ day on Wednesday as black day.
Patna’s anti reservationist rally, blamed on the Congress I by state leadership, fought a pitched battle with the police and pari reservationist rally, blamed on the Congress I by state leadership, fought a pitched battle with the police and paramilitary forces, threw brickbats on the police cordon and at One stage chased the securityment to a distance of about 180 metres till mounted police dispersed them.
While retreating the realists set fire to the Janata Dal office, ransacked the house of a Bihar Minister, Mohammed Illiyas Hussain, and damaged road side shops besides setting fire to several vehicles.
Report from districts generally spoke of intense disquiet violence and arson.
Meanwhile, protagonists also held a meeting in Patna and passed a resolution demanding implementation of the Mandal commission report in entirety.
‘The convenor of the Bihar anti reservation Manch, Shambhu Sharma, has called for a Bihar Bandh on September 15 in protest against the alleged repressive measures against the anti-reservationists by the state government.
In Punjab, where the protagonists had exchanged fire with the police, the anti-reservationists sponsored a strike that passed off peacefully. In Haryana and Himachal Pradesh blockade of rail road traffic marked the stir.
Road and rail traffic blockade continued in the region while situation in the trouble torn Nahan town, where army was called on Monday, was described as “normal”.
In Orissa, the Congress I workers and leaders were arrested as they attempted to march to the Raj Bhavan in a procession defying prohibitory orders to demand immediate dismissal of the Janata Dal government and imposition of president’s rule in the state.
Even as the Congress (I) leaders led by the Pradesh Congress (I) committee president, Giridhar Go mango, came out of the congress Bhavan in Bhubaneswar to submit a memorandum to the governor Yagna Dutt Sharma, they were arrested by the police, who had laid siege of the premises since early Tuesday morning.
The PCC (I) general secretary, Jagannath Patnaik told newsmen that by arresting the leaders and preventing those from going to the Raj Bhavan the Dal government had trampled on our democratic right.
The Punjab roadways buses remained off the roads in most parts of the state. Educational institutions also remained closed in most districts.
In Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, the anti-reservationists set fire to a government vehicle and a post Office and gave a call for Allahabad Bandh on Wednesday.
Several cities and towns in Rajasthan observed Bandh on Tuesday in protest against the report. Students continued their Rasta Roko (jam the roads) agitation in various parts of the state.
In the capital students and representatives of teachers and farmers from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan took part in the rally at the boat club.
The Bharatiya Kisan union vice president, Capt Bhopal Singh asked students to join the Panchayat of farmers at Sisauli in Uttar Pradesh on September 17 and declared support to their demand for withdrawal of the government’s decision to implement the recommendations of the Mandal commission.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will hold a public meeting here on Wednesday in support of the reservation.
Meanwhile, the three top sociologists who were associated with the Mandal commission disagreed with the recommendations of the commission and said the criteria adopted by the commission to identify backward classes were inconsistent.
Prof. Roy Burman, a former professor of anthropology at Vishwa Bharati University, chaired the research planning team.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 14, 1990
