Bharat Bandh in Maharashtra by Dalit organisations

Mumbai, April 2:'Bharat Bandh' was called by various Dalit organisations on Monday, and evoked partial response in Maharashtra.

The protests were called against the March 20 Supreme Court order, which, the Dalit groups contend, has diluted provisions of The Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

While Mumbai remained largely unaffected by the shutdown call, a group of Dalit activists of the Bhim Army staged noisy protests in Bandra outside the Mumbai Suburban District Collectorate.

In Nagpur, a large number of protesters took the streets shouting slogans, attempted to stage road blocks and torched a public bus even as police chased away the demonstrators and the fire brigade snuffed out the blaze.

Large groups of agitators took to the roads in Nandurbar, pelted stones at public buses and other vehicles, forcing the authorities to withdraw all bus services, and some educational institutions declared an off for the day.