Even as Bharat bandh protests turned violent across the country, claiming at least ten lives, both the Centre and the national media were largely left grappling with the sheer magnitude of the protests.
Various Dalit outfits across the country had called for a nationwide bandh on 2 April to protest the Supreme Court's dilution of the SC/ST. The apex court had, in a 20 March order, issued guidelines that in essence protects public servants and private individuals from immediate arrest under the Act.
While calls for a shutdown came much earlier in March, the Centre miscalculated, or rather failed to foresee the magnitude of the bandh.
Missing Directives and the Blame Game
According to a report by The Hindu, the MHA did not issue any directive, or advisory, to the states regarding provision of security measures in anticipation of the protests. In fact, a senior official from the ministry told the daily that law and order fell under the state's purview.
Meanwhile, state intelligence inputs had forewarned the police personnel in their respective states of the expected violence, reported The Hindu.
Rajasthan ADG (Intelligence) UR Sahu had reportedly alerted the state police of the build-up three days before the protest. Speaking to ANI, Sahu said that they had received information of a large congregation through social media, three days before the protests were scheduled. Based on these inputs, the state intelligence had warned the police through a letter, he said.
However, despite this warning, at least one person was killed in the state due to the violence.
In addition, the state police also held a meeting at the Commissionerate on Sunday to chart out the course of action, said ADG (Law and Order) NRK Reddy.
In Punjab, the Jalandhar city police sought the assistance of the CRPF, two days before the protests, reported The Tribune. Additionally, Rapid Action Force personnel were also deployed at various points through the city. The Tribune also reported that the police held 'back-door meeting’ with Dalit leaders in an attempt to discourage them from violence, urging them to carry out peaceful protests.
According to Moneycontrol, the state also suspended public transport scheduled for 2 April, in anticipation of disruption. Internet services were also suspended from 5 pm on Sunday to 11 pm on Monday to avoid any untoward incidents.
However, a large part of the violence that was reported on 2 April stemmed from Punjab.
Meanwhile, the MHA issued a statement asking state governments to take preventive steps and ensure safety, only after the protests turned extremely violent.
However, speaking to The Hindu, the Madhya Pradesh Director-General of Police Rishi Kumar Shukla said that the state police were prepared in any case to handle the situation, and were 'fully aware' of the events. At least 7 people were killed from the ensuing violence in Madhya Pradesh.
Ultimately, in the wake of the 'sudden' violence, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab requested assistance from central forces, seeking help from the RAF and the CRPF.
National Media Caught Unawares
Unlike the Bhim Koregaon protests, which were largely publicised and anticipated, the Bharat Bandh violence caught the national media largely unprepared.
Most news organisations in fact failed to recognise the magnitude the Bandh posed, with news articles about the bandh popping up merely days before the scheduled date.
This, despite Dalit leaders having made constant calls for a nationwide shutdown soon after the apex court's judgment on 20 March.
And although smaller incidents of protests and tensions were reported from across the country in the run-up to the 2 April bandh, the media turned a blind eye to these incidents as a possible indication of violence on Monday.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)