CPI(ML)-New Democracy strongly condemns the firing by police on the people, killing a number of them, protesting against Supreme Court order virtually doing away with The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Supreme Court issued this order despite rise in the number of murders, rapes, assaults and other atrocities being perpetrated against these sections and despite high pendency and very low conviction rate of the cases under the Act.

There have been countrywide protests against this Supreme Court order. People from different walks of life came out in protests. Rail and road traffic was blocked at a number of places and large rallies were organized by the people.

To crush these protests, Govt. took recourse to prohibitory orders, lathi-charged the people and fired live bullets on the protesters in which a number of them have been killed.

Today’s protests are against the growing atrocities against Dalits and other oppressed sections. Today’s protests are against the ruling class forces which are conspiring to finish off reservation from oppressed sections. Today’s protests are also against the conspiracy to impose upper caste chauvinist rule in the name of Hindutva by the ruling dispensation.

CPI(ML)-New Democracy had supported the Bharat Bandh Call. CPI(ML)-New Democracy calls upon the people to continue the protests against the Supreme Court order as well as the attempts by the Govt. to suppress the protests. We pay our homage to those who have laid down their lives against the chauvinist fascist rulers. We call upon all forces against caste oppression and suppression of the rights of the oppressed sections to join hands against the attempts by the Govt. and other wings of the state to deny them their rights.

CPI(ML)-New Democracy

April 2, 2018