Gopalganj:

A school bus with several children on board was saved from a potentially fatal attack by a group of people because of the timely intervention of police in Bihar’s Gopalganj today. A mob tried to set the bus on fire during the Bharat Bandh called by some groups against a recent Supreme Court order on reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs).

However, the Gopalganj police and district administration thwarted the attempt.

Visuals showed the yellow bus surrounded by the mob armed with sticks. A man was seen burning a tyre right under the bus. Several burning tyres were seen scattered on the road on which the bus was trying to pass.

Another video showed some men stopping a bike, with a woman riding pillion, which tried to pass through the area.

Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Swarn Prabhat said a high alert was issued and a large police force and magistrates were deployed at various locations in the town over the Bharat Bandh call.

He mentioned that the police have identified a few individuals who were creating trouble through drone cameras. “I have instructed the police station to file FIRs against the identified troublemakers and send those who attempted to set the bus on fire to jail,” he said.

Even though the town reported some incidents of violence, the Bharat Bandh call evoked a mixed response in Gopalganj. While some vehicles were seen on the road, some protesters caused disruptions along National Highway 27 and the railway tracks.

The Bharat Bandh was called by some Dalit organisations who took an opposing view to a recent Supreme Court judgment by a seven-judge bench that, according to them, undermines the earlier ruling of a nine-judge bench in the landmark Indira Sawhney case, which established the framework for reservations in India.