Bharat Bandh today: What’s open and what’s closed?

Nationwide Bharat Bandh called by Dalit and Adivasi groups against Supreme Court verdict on SC reservations gains political support.

A nationwide bandh was called by Dalit and Adivasi organisations against the recent verdict by the apex court, which held that States have a right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes notified in the Presidential List to provide them “more” preferential treatment in public employment and education. They have called for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) over their demand for stronger representation and protection for marginalised communities.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) announced that they would extend support to the Bharat Bandh call given by various organisations on Wednesday in response to the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on Scheduled Caste (SC) reservations. Left parties also backed the call for the strike. The Bahujan Samaj Party also extended support.

States including Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala are expected to be impacted the most because of the bandh.

A collective of various Adivasi-Dalit organisations will organise a Statewide hartal in Kerala on Wednesday in protest against the Supreme Court ruling. However, Wayanad district has been exempted from the hartal in view of the recent landslide disaster.

The Bandh is also expected to impact the Odisha Indian Mens Hockey Team road show and felicitation in Bhubaneswar.

There is no official announcement as to what services will be open and closed. Transport services in the above States could be impacted, owing to the protests and sit-ins across these States. Security has been bolstered at key locations across States to prevent any untoward incidents.

Emergency services including hospitals and banks would remain functional. There is no government notification on the closure of banks and other government-related institutions.