LIVE Updates: At least nine persons were killed and hundreds injured today in violence across several states as protesters blocked trains, clashed with police and set fire to private and public properties, including police posts, during a nationwide bandh called by Dalit groups. Thousands were detained following widespread incidents of arson, firing and vandalism across over ten states, several of them being BJP-ruled including Madhya Pradesh where at least six persons died during the protests against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Two persons died in Uttar Pradesh and one in Rajasthan, according to officials there. Other states hit with violence included Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi. Those arrested included a former BSP MLA in UP. Curfew was imposed in several places, while the Union Home Ministry, which rushed 800 anti-riot policemen to MP and UP, asked all states to take preventive steps and maintain public order to ensure safety of lives and property. The Army and paramilitary forces were also put on standby in Punjab. In Punjab’s Firozpur, protesters openly brandished swords during the protests, while cars in UP were set ablaze. The agitation also reached the capital as angry Dalits blocked roads in Connaught Place. A few protesters were detained by Delhi police. Dalits have come out in heavy number across the country to protest against the dilution of the SC/ST Act by the Supreme Court. In the face of stiff pressure from both within the NDA and opposition, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the government does not agree with the Supreme Court’s decision and has filed a strong, comprehensive review petition against the apex court’s order.
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