BHOPAL : The members of Bahujan Community demonstrated in front of the Ambedkar Statue at Board Office Square on Thursday evening. Members of the Dalit community led by Ashok Bharati, national president of Rashtriya Dalit Mahasabha had reached the spot to offer floral tributes to the statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar to mark the Constitution Day but later staged a sit-in to support their 16-point demands and blocked the traffic at the square.
The members carrying sticks in their hands were demanding that a minister should come and accept memorandum from them as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was out of the city. Administration had given permission to offer floral tributes on the statue but failed to asses the information of the sit-in completely.
A situation of traffic jam was created as the busiest roads of the city were blocked.
Hundreds of vehicles moved at snails pace due to the traffic block. Vehicle jam for more than two kilometres on all the sides of the square took place due to the block.
The members of the community were demanding that they should be provided land and employment as promised by CM Chauhan. They were demanding Rs 10,000 as pension and Rs 5000 as unemployment allowance as promised by the CM to be provided to them. Large number of women along with men had reached the spot to support the sit-in.
Administrative officials along with senior police officials struggled to pacify the demonstrators.
The anti-riot squad along with heavy police force was deployed at the spot to control any untoward incident.
