A newborn died on Monday as the ambulance carrying him got stuck in a traffic jam during a protest by Dalit groups in Bihar’s Hajipur city, The New Indian Express reported. A 68-year-old man died under similar circumstances in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, as he could not reach the hospital on time, according to ANI.

In the incident in Hajipur, the ambulance was taking the infant to a hospital in the district headquarters a few hours after he was born at a primary health centre in Mahnar block. Doctors declared the baby brought dead when he reached the hospital, according to NDTV.

The protest was part of the nationwide shutdown that several Dalit organisations called on Monday against a Supreme Court judgement that protects a public servant from being arrested under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act without a preliminary inquiry.

At least nine people died in the protests in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Incidents of violence and arson were reported from Bihar and Jharkhand, as well.

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