Odisha bandh disrupts schools, transport as INDIA bloc protests mining law, textbook errors
Normal life was disrupted in several districts of Odisha on Thursday as parties of the INDIA bloc observed a 12-hour bandh from 6 a.m., pressing three main demands: a rollback of a new mining law, the resignation of a State Minister over errors in school textbooks, and an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Shops, business establishments, petrol pumps and many educational institutions remained closed through the morning. Public transport, including buses and autorickshaws, stayed off the roads in many places, and commuters were seen waiting at bus stops for services that did not arrive.
Protesters carrying party flags and banners staged demonstrations in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Balasore, Rayagada, Kendrapara, Bolangir, Berhampur and Sambalpur, among other places. Roads and national highways were blocked at several points, and tyres were burnt at major junctions. Buses, trucks, taxis and autorickshaws were stopped in some districts.
Essential services, including hospitals, ambulances, fire services, medicine shops and milk supply, were exempted from the shutdown, a Congress leader said.
The bandh was called by the Congress, the CPI, the CPI(M), the CPI(ML) Liberation, the Forward Bloc, the NCP (Sharad Pawar), the Samajwadi Party, the RJD and the JMM.
"We demand a complete rollback of the MMDR (Amendment) Act, resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for 'vote chori' and State Minister Nityananda Gond for distributing books with erroneous information among school students," senior Congress leader Suresh Routray said in Bhubaneswar.
What the demands concern
The MMDR (Amendment) Act refers to changes to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, the principal central law governing how mineral concessions in India are granted and regulated. The Opposition parties have demanded its repeal, arguing that the amendment harms the interests of the State and its people. The government's position on the specific provisions raised during the bandh was not set out in this report.
The Special Intensive Revision is a process by which the Election Commission revises electoral rolls. The Election Commission has described such exercises as a means of making the rolls free of errors, duplicates and entries of deceased voters. The parties opposing it allege irregularities in the way it has been carried out, and have demanded that the Chief Election Commissioner step down. These are allegations; a finding on them would rest with the courts or other competent authorities.
The demand concerning Mr. Gond, the State Minister, relates to allegations that school textbooks containing erroneous information were distributed to students.
Right to protest and its limits
A bandh is a form of protest in which normal public and commercial activity is halted. Indian courts have repeatedly held that the right to assemble and protest peacefully is protected under the Constitution, but that it does not extend to forcing others to close their establishments, stop work or give up their freedom of movement. Political parties and the police therefore typically negotiate the route, duration and scope of such protests.
A senior police officer said adequate security arrangements had been made across the State to avoid any untoward incident during the protest, and that efforts had been made to ensure the demonstrations took place democratically and peacefully.
Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S. Dev Dutta Singh said, "Discussions have been held with various stakeholders so that protesters conduct their demonstrations within the ambit of their constitutional rights."
