Cadres and leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Adi Tamilar Peravai, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and a few other parties staged a protest at the Coimbatore Railway Junction on Monday urging the Centre to bring out an ordinance strengthening the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The protesters led by Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) G. Ramakrishnan and former MP P.R. Natarajan shouted slogans in front of the railway station.
Adi Tamilar Peravai’s joint general secretary ‘Kovai’ Ravikumar said the protesters were there for the following reasons – condemning the Supreme Court order that had watered down the provisions of the Act, urging the Centre to bring out an ordinance strengthening the Act and enact a legislation and place it under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution and asking the State governments concerned to compensate the kin of the 14 Dalits who were killed in various incidents in northern States by paying 1 crore to their family members and giving government jobs.
Addressing journalists before the protests, Mr. Ramakrishnan alleged that the atrocities against Dalits had increased by 66 per cent during the four years of NDA rule. Every 15 minutes the country witnessed one act of atrocity or another against Dalits.
In the BJP-ruled States in the north, the police had fired at Dalit protesters, he alleged and cited several instances were Dalits had been attacked.
As the protesters attempted to force their way into the railway station, the Coimbatore City Police personnel on duty prevented them from moving forward.
The push and pull led to a few people losing balance and falling on to the ground. This led the protesters to squat on the State Bank Road, condemning the police action.
Traffic came to a halt for a while on the road and resumed only after the police removed the protesters.
The police said they removed over 300 protesters.
