Maharashtra was left on edge after celebrating the Bhima Koregaon battle anniversary in Pune, a battle fought 200 years ago brought to fore simmering caste tensions. Violent protests by the Dalit community erupted across Maharashtra on Tuesday.

Dalit activists have called a bandh in Maharashtra on Wednesday to protest violence in Pune that left a man dead. Authorities have stepped up security in several cities, including capital Mumbai, as tension prevails in the state.

The tension began on Monday when lakhs of Dalits gathered in the town of Koregaon Bhima, about 30 km from Pune, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of a battle that saw Dalit soldiers fighting with the British defeating the army of the upper caste Peshwas or rulers.

Maharashtra: Protests being carried out in the state; visuals from Nagpur’s Shatabdi Square #BhimaKoregaonViolence pic.twitter.com/CRxHim7qOl

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018

Buses were vandalized, stones were pelted and shops were shut as the Bhima Koregaon violence took a slightly political turn with politicians of all color commenting on Monday’s riots or its aftermath. Groups of Dalit activists jumped on the railway tracks, shouting slogans and waved flags to attempt rail-blockades at various stations in Thane and Palghar districts, but were prevented by the security forces.

Maharashtra: Protesters halt a train at Thane Railway Station over #BhimaKoregaonViolence pic.twitter.com/BHLsWmfpmk

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018

Thirteen buses of the civic transport service ‘BEST’ were damaged by protesters in Kalanagar area (Bandra), Dharavi, Kamaraj Nagar, Santosh Nagar, Dindoshi and Hanuman Nagar, an official from the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

#Maharashtra: Protesters halt buses, auto-rickshaws at Lal Bahadur Shastri Road in #Thane, also deflate bus tyres #BhimaKoregaonViolence pic.twitter.com/Me37mxNjgW

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018

To prevent further damage the administration has also suspended internet services in Aurangabad. The Mumbai police have requisitioned extra forces and are moving in quickly to break up crowds or clear roadblocks to ensure protests don’t escalate.

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Though many taxi-auto rickshaw unions have supported the shutdown, the city’s lifeline, the suburban trains and the BEST (Bombay Electric Supply And Transport) buses services were plying near-normally. Today’s Class 11 exams at St Xavier’s College in South Mumbai have been canceled, college authorities said.

Protests also took place in Goregaon, Thane, and Virar, where angry Dalits tried to force shopkeepers to shut shops and disrupted road traffic.