Tribal and Dalit rights organisations have called for a nation wide shut down on Tuesday to protest against the Supreme Court order on their eviction from their habitat.
The groups have demanded that the Centre promulgate two ordinances to secure their rights that have been affected by Supreme Court decisions: the first to secure the forest rights of tribals, and the second to ensure fair representation in UGC faculty posts.
Several Bahujan groups will also be part of the protests, especially in view of the Supreme Court’s recent dismissal of a review petition on a 13-point roster, which will affect the chances of SC, ST, and OBC candidates to take up faculty posts in universities. Dalit rights demand the department-wise recruitment system in universities be nullified
Live Updates:
11:25 AM | HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar appeals the protesters to stop agitation, promises to give justice
Javadekar, while adressing the media, said that the Centre had never agreed to the Supreme Court’s January decision which had upheld the new 13-point roster system.
“We have said that we are in favour of the 200-point roster. We are going to give it. Only wait for last Cabinet meeting and two more days and university community will get justice. I am very sure because Modi govt stands for social justice.”
11:15 AM | Protesters block railway tracks; stop Ahmedabad-Patna Express in Bihar
11:05 AM | SC agrees to hear plea on encroachment of tribal lands
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea against alleged encroachment on the tribal lands.
11:00 AM | Protesters stop Ganga Gomti train in Prayagraj
Activists of Samajwadi Party stopped the Ganga Gomti express train from Allahabad to Lucknow on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh.
10:55 AM | Congress, RJD, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party support the protest
10:50 AM | Samajwadi Party is in strong opposition to the 13-point roster
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has also hit out at the Centre over the UGC roster-system. Yadav in a tweet on Tuesday said,
समाजवादी पार्टी भाजपा सरकार द्वारा शिक्षण संस्थानों में लागू आरक्षण विरोधी 13 प्वाइंट रोस्टर प्रणाली के सख़्त विरोध में हैं.
दलित, ओबीसी, पिछड़ा, कमज़ोर, वंचित विरोध केंद्रित ये नीति संविधान की उपेक्षा व अवहेलना है.
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 5, 2019
10:40 AM | What is UGC’s new 13-Point Roster
According to the University Grant Commission’s (UGC) new 13-point roster system, individual departments and not universities or colleges will be considered as the unit for implementing reservation for SC/ST or OBC in appointments for faculty positions Many have said that this will drastically cut the number of posts reserved for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes. Dalits, Adivasis and the Other Backward Classes who have been accorded 15%, 7.5% and 27% reservation respectively. Hence, if the unit under consideration is small, there will be no scope for ensuring reservation.
10:35 AM | Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Tejaswi Yadav slammed the Modi government over the 13-point roster system.
Taking to his Twitter account, Yadav said, “Modi government’s decision to abolish 13 point roster & approval of 10% quota to the EWS in the General category is not in line with the principle of affirmative action in the Constitution. RSS is hell bent on scrapping the reservation of SC/ST & OBCs,”
10:30 AM | HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar will speak on the UGC roster system at 10.30 AM
10:15 AM | In Delhi, the protesters are set to march from Mandi House to Parliament Street.
10:00 AM | Tribals in Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and other states in the Northeast are set to join Tuesday’s bandh.
