Maratha Quota Protest: Tuesday afternoon, there were protest on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway for two hours due to protests demanding reservations for the Maratha population in Maharashtra.
In Pune, Maharashtra, the demonstrators also set fire to tyres on the Pune-Bengaluru highway close to the Navale bridge, which hindered traffic flow in the area.
In an effort to secure reservations for OBC status in government employment and education, the Maratha community has been holding rallies. As part of the second phase of the movement, on October 25, Maratha quota campaigner Manoj Jarange began an indefinite fast, which heightened the agitation.
Protests turned violent
Protests on Monday turned violent in several areas of the state when quota protesters set fire to and vandalised three MLAs’ homes or offices, attacked a municipal council building and obstructed traffic in Maharashtra.
Two NCP MLAs’ houses were set on fire, and another BJP legislator’s office was vandalised. The violent and arson attacks were reported from Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra.
A bunch of Maratha Kranti Morcha labourers in Solapur blocked the train lines today. With saffron flags in hand, protesters set fire to tyres on the railroad tracks.
Ram Jadhav and Nishant Salve were the two protesters who were taken into custody by Solapur City Police and railway officials. According to India Today, protesters were driven off the train tracks by the authorities.
Panchayat samiti office set on fire by protesters
Violent incidents were also reported from the Jalna district of Maharashtra, when a panchayat samiti office was set on fire by protesters.
Supporters chanting “Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha” reached the panchayat samiti office at Ghansawangi in the district on Monday night, and vandalised property by setting it on fire. Some important documents and furniture in two rooms of the office were damaged, an official from Ghansawangi police station said.
In a separate Jalna incident, on Monday, some protesters tried to stop trains at a railway gate in the village of Shelgaon, in the tehsil of Badnapur. In an attempt to interfere with train operations, they sat on the railway rails.
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