The Cabinet has decided to promulgate an Ordinance to curb destruction of private property in the name of protests. It aims at providing due protection to private property from violence that erupts during protests. These include destruction of property caused by hartals, bandhs, demonstrations, communal violence, road blockade and such others called by political, social and religious organisations and other groups. The proposed Ordinance entails provisions for imprisonment up to five years and a fine once proved that private property was destroyed as part of a tension, hartal or other protests. Frequent hartals called by various organisations have evoked public resentment and now they tend to reject it.

Source: The Hindu January 07, 2019 13:30 UTC