“Reserve the two abolished assembly seats for SCs if necessary, but reinstate them” : BDF Chief Convenor Pradip Dutta Roy, Urges all to unite for community

In a press conference held today, Chief Convenor Pradip Dutta Roy of the Barak Democratic Front (BDF) addressed the upcoming proposed Barak bandh, urging unity and highlighting the demands of the community. He emphasised the importance of understanding the nuances of the Supreme Court’s order regarding the observation of bandh.

Chief Convenor Dutta Roy revealed that the Superintendents of Police from the three districts in Barak Valley had provided political parties with a transcript of the Supreme Court’s order. The order, he explained, prohibited the observance of a bandh but did not explicitly forbid hartals or janata curfews.

Drawing attention to the complexity of the situation, Dutta Roy urged the police and administration to consider the various forms of protest being planned tommorow apart from bandh. He requested those opposing the bandh to reconsider their stance, emphasising the significance of community interests in this matter.

Dutta Roy further emphasised the seat disparity faced by Barak Valley, which consists of approximately 45 lakhs of people. He revealed that two assembly seats had been reduced, a decision that the BDF strongly opposes. The demand put forth by the organisation is to reinstate the two seats and reserve them for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, if necessary. The Chief Convenor stressed that this issue holds utmost importance as it concerns the very existence of their community, and he expressed the desire to avoid any division among the people.

The proposed bandh, hartal and janata curfew are scheduled to take place tomorrow in Barak Valley.