Security outside the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi was increased on Wednesday after a call for a shutdown by Dalit activists brought Maharashtra to a standstill, reported the Hindustan Times. Students are protesting outside the state building in Delhi.

The Dalit groups in Maharashtra began their agitation after a man was killed in clashes during celebrations in Bhima Koregaon near Pune on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Dalit activists took to the streets of Mumbai where they shouted slogans, blocked traffic and even vandalised buses in several parts of the city. Railway and road traffic were affected in Mumbai. Metro services between Ghatkopar and Airport Road were shut down for “security reasons”.

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The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm on Wednesday as lawmakers raised questions about the law and order situation in Maharashtra. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government about the people who pelted stones at Dalits travelling to Bhima Koregaon. He accused Hindutva activists and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of instigating the violence and called for an investigation by a Supreme Court judge.

On the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon on Monday, violence broke out in Bhima Koregaon and surrounding areas after some people, reportedly with saffron flags, pelted stones at cars going towards the village. An activist told Times Now on Wednesday that there were no clashes between two groups at Bhima Koregaon, claiming that people with saffron flags attacked Dalit groups gathered at the location.

Lakhs of people gather every New Year’s Day to commemorate the victory of the English, whose troops comprised mostly Mahar soldiers, against the Brahmin Peshwa-led Maratha Empire in 1818. Many Dalits celebrate the defeat of the Peshwas as the first step in their continuing struggle against caste-based oppression.