Patna, April 10 : Over a dozen of people were injured on Tuesday in a violent clash in Bihar during the "Bharat Bandh" called by various groups to protest against reservation policies, police said.

Supporters, mostly upper castes youths, blocked roads and forcibly enforced the nationwide shutdown in Ara town, Bhojpur district.

"More than a dozen people were injured in the violent clash between supporters of the Bharat Bandh and a pro-reservation group comprising OBCs and Dalits," a district police official said.

Additional security have been deployed in Ara.

According to reports reaching here, hundreds of youths opposing reservation to SC/ST and OBCs and supporting Bharat Bandh, have blocked roads at several places, halted trains and forcibly closed markets in Patna, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Muzafffarpur, Bhojpur, Sheikhpura and Darbhanga districts.

The clash comes a day after the Union Home Ministry issued an advisory to all states to take precautionary measures in view of calls on social media for the "Bharat Bandh" by various anti-reservation groups to protest clashes during the April 2 SC/ST shutdown.


The Bharat Bandh on April 2 by Dalit groups against the alleged dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by a Supreme Court order had led to violence and arson in many parts of the country which claimed several lives and left hundreds of civilians and policemen injured. 

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Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): Tension gripped the Vijayapura area of Chikkamagaluru late Monday night following allegations of stone-pelting, triggering protests by members of two communities and heavy police deployment.

Allegations surfaced that some youths from a community had pelted stones at houses over the past week and harassed girls for the last three days, leading to outrage among local residents, police said.

According to police sources, two youths who were found moving in a suspicious manner were caught by activists of an organisation, beaten up and later handed over to the police. Soon after, hundreds of youths from both communities gathered in front of the Basavanahalli Police Station and the government hospital, creating a tense atmosphere.

While one group claimed they were not involved in stone-pelting, another group demanded strict action against those responsible for the attacks on houses and alleged harassment.

Police, who were alerted in advance, rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd.

Authorities said they struggled for some time before bringing the situation under control. Tight security was in place across the city.

Meanwhile, the two injured youths are undergoing treatment at the government hospital.