Jagdalpur, August 21 (HS). Sarva Adivasi Samaj and Sarva Scheduled Caste Samaj have called for Bastar Bandh today on Wednesday against the Supreme Court's decision to implement creamy layer in ST-SC reservation.
The bandh has affected all the seven districts including the divisional headquarters of Bastar, Jagdalpur. All the shops are closed since morning. Members of Sarva Adivasi Samaj and Sarva Scheduled Caste Samaj have come out on the streets in support of the bandh. The Bastar Chamber of Commerce has supported the bandh.
In view of the bandh called by the tribal community, strict police arrangements have been made in all the seven districts of Bastar division. Soldiers have been deployed at every intersection of Jagdalpur. Emergency services like medical services have started. The bandh has been called from 6 am to 5 pm.
According to the information received, members of the tribal community have blocked National Highway-30 in Sukma district headquarters. The road from Jagdalpur to Sukma via Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is blocked. There is a long queue of vehicles on both sides. Apart from this, Jagdalpur-Bijapur National Highway-63 is also jammed. Here, members of the tribal community have sat on the road near Keshlur, due to which there is a long queue of vehicles, the national highway is completely jammed. Apart from this, there is a huge crowd of community members at Amaguda Chowk on National Highway-30 in Jagdalpur, attempts are being made to jam here too.
Prakash Thakur, divisional president of Sarva Adivasi Samaj, says that on August 1, the Supreme Court, while giving its verdict in a case of Punjab, has said that creamy layer has been implemented by doing quota over quota and sub-classification in the reservation of scheduled castes and tribes. In protest against which, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other natives have called for a bandh, due to which all the seven districts of Bastar division are closed.