Fresh violence in Rajasthan, houses of Dalit MLA, ex-MLA set ablaze
New Delhi, Apr 3 (IBNS): A day after massive protests in several parts of the country, fresh violence broke out in Rajasthan on Tuesday as nearly 5,000 people set ablaze the houses of a sitting and a former Dalit MLA, media reports said.
The death toll in the violence since Monday rose to 11.
On Tuesday, two more persons died in Madhya Pradesh.
In the fresh violence, houses of a sitting MLA and a former MLA — both Dalits — in Hindaun and in Karauli district, were set ablaze.
Soon after the incident, curfew was clamped in Jaipur's Hindaun.
The Supreme Court has earlier rejected a plea to put stay on its March 20 order diluting certain provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, reports said.
The top court, however, put the matter to be heard after 10 days and asked parties to file their written submissions within two days.
While hearing observations by attorney general K K Venugopal on a review petition filed by the Centre, the apex court said: "We are not against the Act. Innocent should not be punished."
The SC on Tuesday said the judgment in no way dilutes any provision of the SC/ST Act or rules and that the Act does not mandate immediate arrest on filing of complaint.
"We have not diluted any provision of SC/ST Act and only safeguarded interest of innocents from being arrested. Provisions of the Act cannot be used to terrorise the innocents," the court said.
The review petion was filed by the Centre on Monday amid a countrywide unrest after several Dalit organisations called a Bharat Bandh in protest against what they alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act.
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