Dalit agitation: Bail plea of 34 including BSP, Bhim Sena leaders rejected

A sessions court has rejected the bail plea of 34 accused, including BSP district president Kamal Gautam and Bhim Sena district chief Upkar Bavra, in connection with the violence during the 'Bharat Bandh' on April 2.

Turning down the bail plea, Additional District Sessions Judge Gaurav Srivastava said there was no case of bail.

According to the government’s lawyer Jitender Tyagi, the police had registered a number of cases against the accused under different sections relating to violence and rioting.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader was arrested on April 5, while Bavra surrendered in a court in Muzaffarnagar on April 13. Both were sent to judicial custody.

The stringent National Security Act has been invoked against Bavra.

Dalit groups had called for a 'Bharat Bandh' on April 2 to protest the Supreme Court order that they claimed diluted the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.