New Delhi, Apr 2: The nationwide Bharat Bandh called by Dalit organisations took a violent turn in several states as unruly demonstrations were witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha.

Six deaths were reported in the clashes which broke out so far. While four died in Madhya Pradesh's Morena, one succumbed to injuries in Gwalior. Another protester was reported dead in Rajasthan's Alwar.

In Madhya Pradesh, section 144 imposed in Morena, Sagar and Gwalior in a bid to dissuade the protesters from hitting the streets.

Uproarious demonstrations were also witnessed in Dalit-dominated regions of Uttar Pradesh, including the districts of Meerut, Agra and Saharanpur. The protesters also hurled sola bottles at a police station in Meerut district.

Incidents of vandalism also came to the fore from Rajasthan. In Barmer, the agitators torched down vehicles and pelted stones at a police station. The protesters also briefly blocked the national highway passing through Barmer towards Indore.

Punjab remained on the edge a day before the Bharat Bandh call was issued as nearly 35 per cent of the population falls under the Scheduled Caste category.

Schools and colleges remained shut, while state-run and private operators were barred from operating considering the threat posed by the operators. Internet services were also ordered to be clamped down in the state till 11pm today.

The bandh called was issued by nearly a dozen pro-Dalit outfits, including the National Dalit Movement for Justice, the Jati Aant Sangharsh Samiti, the Sanvidhan Samvardhan Samiti and the Rashtriya Seva Dal.

The protesters demanded the roll-back of the changes made to the SC/ST Atrocities Act by the Supreme Court. In its March 20 order, the apex court struck down the provision of immediate arrest, apart from allowing the accused in atrocities case to seek anticipatory bail.

The two-judge SC bench said a government employee cannot be booked under the Act till the appointing authority gives the approval. In other cases, the FIR could be registered only after the conduct of a preliminary inquiry.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 02, 2018 01:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).