The Punjab government has decided to close all schools on Wednesday pertaining to the strike or bandh called by the Dalit and Christian communities in the state. The state-wide strike has been called to bring attention to the ongoing ethnic violence and the increase in crimes against women in Manipur.
Who called the bandh?
The Christian Brotherhood held a press conference at the Press Club of Jalandhar to escalate their protest, organized Manipur's Insaf Morch and formally declared an all-day bandh in Punjab.
According to a plan presented by Manipur Insaaf Morcha's President Surjit Thapar, movements in the State will be halted for nine hours on August 9 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, reportedly.
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Why will the schools be closed in Punjab?
The Punjab government The decision aims to prevent any untoward incidents and protect the well-being of the students.
Reason behind state-wide bandh
A disturbing incident, which has come to light in the video of May 4, is at the heart of this protest. The concerned video showed two women from the rival community being paraded naked on the streets and sexually assaulted. It created public outrage and also led to an opposition delegation to visit the war-torn state to gauge the situation.
The ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 following a rally organised by the Meitei community called the 'Tribal Solidarity March' where they demanded Scheduled Tribe status from the government. So far reportedly 160 lives have been lost and several properties have been damaged but the Centre seems to be silent about the matter which concerns the people of the other minority communities. The state-wide bandh in Punjab aims to create awareness and draw the attention of the central government to the unrest in Manipur.
