Dalit protests: Mathura MLA's office ransacked

Office of a BJP legislator was allegedly ransacked in Krishna Nagar here by a group of Dalits who were protesting the "dilution" of the provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, representative of the MLA said.

The demonstrators damaged the office of BJP MLA Puran Prakash when he was attending meeting of District Plan headed by Minister In-charge of Mathura Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary," Representative of the MLA, Pankaj Prakash, said.

The agitators tore off the hoardings and flag of the BJP, he said.

The protesters retreated only when locals objected, the MLA representative said.

Puran Prakash, who is a Dalit, is BJP MLA from Baldeo reserved constituency.

The protesters also tore off the hoardings and flag of the BJP from new bus stand to Krishna Nagar.

DySP Preeti Singh said, Action would be taken against law offenders.

However, no case was registered in the matter till filing of this report.

The Supreme Court on March 20 had banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal cases under the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Ruling that no arrest can be made under the Act without prior permission, the apex court had also held that a court can grant anticipatory bail if it, prima facie, finds the complaint is an abuse of the law, false, motivated and intended to blackmail or harass a person.

This was necessary, the court had said, to prevent the "rampant misuse of the tough provisions of the law".

The 'Bharat Bandh', called by various Dalit groups and backed by various political outfits, demands restoration of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in its original form.