Life was affected following a bandh call given by various Dalit outfits here on Monday. Hubballi-Dharwad Vividha Sangha Samsthegala Mahamandala, a congregation of different Dalit outfits, had given a call for observing a bandh over different issues, including the alleged rape and murder of a minor Dalit girl in Vijayapura, the Bhima-Koregaon incident, Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anant Kumar Hegde’s reported statements regarding changing the Constitution and others. However, the bandh call was confined to the Hubballi-Dharwad city limits.
Members of various Dalit outfits began gathering at the Rani Chennamma Circle here since early morning. By around 6.30 a.m. a large number of people who came in procession from various directions gathered at the Rani Chennamma Circle and resorted to sloganeering and burning tyres as part of the protest. Hubballi-Dharwad Commissioner of Police M.N. Nagaraj told The Hindu that the bandh was total and peaceful. He denied reports that stones were thrown at private vehicles.
The bandh was total as business and other establishments remained closed. The city wore a deserted look as bus services were withdrawn. Though NWKRTC did not announce revoking bus services in advance, it cancelled services after gauging the situation in the morning. Private bus service providers and most autorickshaw operators too followed suit. Passengers, particularly those who arrived here from other parts in the morning hours, were at the receiving end as commuting services remained affected. Following the bandh call, some private educational institutions declared a holiday. Though government educational institutions did not declare holiday, the student turnout was poor.
