Punjab CM appealed for peace - April 2 shut down by SC/ST community

Chandigarh, March 31: Following a call for a shutdown on April 2 by various organizations of the Scheduled Caste community to show resentment against the dilution of SC/ST Atrocities Act, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday appealed to the community and other people of the state to keep restraint and maintain law and order.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, he said that the Punjab government was seized with the situation arising out of the dilution of the Act. He said that the protest should be done in a peaceful manner and nothing should be done to endanger the peace and communal harmony in the state.

"The Chief Minister said that the Punjab Government was already committed for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, which was evident from the fact that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha unanimously adopted a resolution to express solidarity with our SC brethren during its recently concluded Budget Session seeking the NDA Government's intervention to legally pursue the case in which a Supreme Court verdict had diluted provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act," a spokesperson for the Chief Minister said.