After the Punjab Bandh was declared for August 13, 2019, by the Dalit Organization and Sant Samaj, a holiday has been declared for the schools, colleges, and other educational institutions in the cities such as Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Gurdaspur. The demolition of the Guru Ravidas Temple in Delhi’s Tughalaqabad has triggered the call for the bandh. However, the schools will function as per schedule in Patiala.
Meanwhile, the Punjab School Education Board has postponed the class 10 and 12 supplementary examinations to be conducted today- August 12, 2019, due to the declaration of the bandh. However, the rescheduled dates will be released soon. The board has postponed the class 10 Mathematics and class 12 Political Science, Business Studies and Physics examinations.
Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner, Vipul Ujwal has confirmed that all the schools which include government and private institutions within the municipal limits of the city will remain closed today. The Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar, Varinder K Sharma has also issued a holiday for all the schools in Jalandhar while a similar order was issued for the educational institutions in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala.
Though there are confirmed reports that the administration of Patiala has not declared a holiday for the educational institutions and has also stated that the situation is well under control in the area. Similarly, Nawanshahr also has not declared a holiday for its educational institutions.
Earlier the Supreme Court had passed the order for the demolition of the Guru Ravidas Temple in Tughalaqabad, Delhi. Protests have since erupted in parts of Punjab wherein anger protests were taken on the roads and highways in Punjab.
In a series of tweets, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the demolition of the temple. On Monday, he wrote, “The demolition of the 500-year-old Sri Ravidas temple in Delhi is condemnable and testifies @AamAadmiParty’s thought process. Held a meeting with the party’s senior leadership in Delhi on the tense situation emerged out of the incident. The entire @Akali_Dal_ leadership decided that the decision took by AAP has hurt the sentiments of the entire Ravidas community and must be opposed strongly. Party delegation will soon approach Home Minister @AmitShah Ji and bring to his notice the seriousness of the matter.”
