The Bhim Army is planning to stage a protest on the Parliament Street on August 19 demanding the release of its founder Chandrashekhar Azad who is in jail on charges of engineering caste riots in Saharanpur last year.

The Dalit organisation is also demanding the withdrawal of cases against those who have been jailed in connection with the April 2 Bharat Bandh violence.

"We will stage a protest on the Parliament Street and march to the Parliament demanding the release of Chandrashekhar Azad and dropping of charges under the Nation Security Act (NSA) against him," Bhim Army National President Vinay Ratan Singh told reporters here.

"The rally is necessary as there is a civil war-like situation emerging from the government's failure to check issues relating to Dalits and caste discrimination," he alleged.