Bharat Bandh: Police defuse tension in Punjab town

Chandigarh: Tension prevailed in Punjab's industrial town of Phagwara on Tuesday as two groups came face to face during the one-day Bharat Bandh (shutdown protest), but police intervened and defused the situation.

The situation arose when some activists from Hindu organisations, getting shops closed during the protest in the town, were confronted by Dalits.

The Hindu organizations are opposing the reservation policy of the government.

Reports indicated some minor tension also in Ferozepur town, around 250 km from here.

A shutdown was observed by shops and businesses in view of the bandh call in some smaller towns in Punjab.

Though no organization has owned up the protest call, it was circulated mostly through social media.

Punjab has the highest concentration of Dalits among states in the country. They comprise 32 percent of the state's 2.8 crore population.

The protest shutdown by scheduled caste organizations last week passed off peacefully in Punjab.