Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav blamed the BJP for the large-scale violence during Bharat Bandh call given by Dalit outfits to protest against the dilution of Prevention of atrocities against Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes Act by the Supreme Court. Appealing for calm and restraint, the SP chief said that his party shared the agony of Dalit community and the party was fully committed for the protection of civil rights of Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes. “It’s a monumental failure of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The Union government should have invited representatives of Dalit outfits and talked to them for negotiated settlement of the issue. The government did not think it prudent to talk to Dalits after they had gavet he bandh call,’’ said Akhilesh on Monday. Terming the violence as ‘most unfortunate’, the SP chief said, “It’s most unfortunate that someone is forced to resort to agitation on the streets for the protection of honour and civil rights of his/her community. Their rights are enshrined in the Constitution drafted by Dr Ambedkar and no power on earth can deprive the disadvantaged sections from their legal rights and constitutional protection to their civil rights.” A ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by some Dalit groups against the Supreme Court ruling triggered violence in parts of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Protesters threw stones at police and common people during the Bandh, attacked and looted shops, misbehaved with women, squatted on rail tracks, torched government and private vehicles in Hapur, Agra, Meerut and Saharanpur and Ghaziabad.