The Maratha community announced a bandh (shutdown) on Monday in protest against the lathicharge on activists demanding reservations for the Maratha community in Maharashtra's Jalna. There will be tight security arrangements in Aurangabad in view of the bandh.
On Friday, police had resorted to baton charges and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob on Dhule-Solapur road in Jalna after those at the site allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on hunger strike to the hospital. Around 45 policemen and several protesters were injured and many buses were set on fire during the violence that erupted in the district. Meanwhile, more than 350 persons have been booked for alleged involvement in the untoward incidents.
The earlier bandh was declared in Jalna, Nandurbar, Beed and other districts to condemn the incident on Saturday. In Beed, incidents of stone pelting were reported from Majalgaon. The shutdown was called by the Maratha Kranti Morcha following a meeting of the outfit at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharj Chowk.
What happened in Jalna
A sit-in hunger strike, led by activist Manoj Jarange, over the demand for the Maratha reservation, began on Tuesday. The trouble began when police tried to shift Jarange to hospital on doctors' advice, officials said.
According to police, around 40 police personnel and some others were injured in the violence. The protesters pelted stones and torched at least 15 state transport buses and some private vehicles.
The reservation in jobs and education provided by the state government to the Maratha community was quashed by the Supreme Court in May 2021, citing the 50 per cent ceiling on total reservations among other grounds.
The case was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 307 (attempt to murder), 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and others.
CM Eknath Shinde calls for peace
It should be mentioned here that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had on Friday made an appeal for peace and announced that a committee will be set up for a high-level probe into the violence, while Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis had claimed that the police were forced to use baton charge due to stone pelting. The reservation in jobs and education provided by the state government to the Maratha community was quashed by the Supreme Court in May 2021, citing the 50 per cent ceiling on total reservations among other grounds.
