Indian district blocks internet after deadly caste clashes

An Indian man injured in clashes between different castes is brought to hospital in the Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh on May 24, 2017.

PHOTO: AFP

Authorities in north India have blocked mobile internet services, arrested 24 people and suspended senior officials after clashes between castes that have left two people dead and at least 20 injured, police said Thursday.

Police said they had blocked access to mobile messaging services to stop "outsiders" from instigating the violence between Dalits and members of a higher caste community in Uttar Pradesh state's Saharanpur district, which lies just 190 kilometres from New Delhi.Closing out September, the Kevin Hart comedy Night School went to the head of the class for this weekend’s box office earnings, leaving the Channing Tatum and LeBron James-voiced cartoon Smallfoot in the dust — but still at number two.

Night School follows Kevin Hart’s attempt to earn his high school GED diploma as an adult along with a group of misfit students while their teacher, co-star Tiffany Haddish, employs some rather unusual motivational techniques to push them over the line and into achieving their goal.

The Hart comedy brought in over $28 million for its debut weekend appearing in about 3,000 theaters, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Meanwhile, the animated Smallfoot, a story following the friendship between a group of Yeti creatures and a human, debuted with a disappointing $23 million