Violent protests were reported from different parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday after agitators took the streets demanding reservation for Maratha community in government jobs and education.
Maratha outfits called for a bandh in Maharashtra after a man named Kakasaheb Shinde, demanding reservation for the community, jumped to his death in a river in Aurangabad district on Monday.
The protest turned ugly as Maratha Kranti Morcha workers set ablaze a truck in Aurangabad’s Gangapur. Tyres were burnt in front of the Osmanabad collector’s office and train services were blocked in Parbhani district.
Many workers tonsured their heads as a mark of protest against the ruling Fadnavis government.
According to media reports, two people attempted suicide today. Jayant Sonavne attempted suicide by jumping into river and Jagannath Sonavne alias Guddu consumed poison in Deogaon Rangari in Aurangabad. Both have been hospitalised.
Earlier in the day, locals attacked the vehicle of Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire when he went to attend the funeral of the youth who drowned in Godavari river on Monday.
According to reports, some Maratha groups have also planned to protest in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The Maratha Kranti Morcha had on Monday demanded an apology from Devendra Fadnavis for alleging that some members from the community were planning violence at Pandharpur town in Solapur district, where the chief minister was earlier scheduled to perform puja at a temple on ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’.
The outfit, which led the ‘jal samadhi’ protest in which Shinde died, is leading the agitation seeking reservation for the community in government jobs and education.
(With agency inputs)