More protests have been called in India over a new tax on food.

The government is seeking to raise revenues by charging a 5% tax on staples, including grains.

They have been tax-free until now.

Critics say the new levy will further squeeze the poor who are already battling higher inflation and record unemployment.

Traders and store owners have called the protest, starting off in Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh in central India and a stronghold of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Aljazeera/Agencies.