Over 50 including cops injured as Maratha quota protest turns violent in Jalna. Police lathi-charged to disperse a group of activists demanding reservation for the Maratha community. In response, the Maratha Kranti Morcha protest by burning tires on the highway. At the same time, the bus service running on Dhule-Solapur highway has been cancelled due to the violence.
Jalna/Maharashtra: More than 50 were injured, including policemen, as the campaign for Maratha quota turned violent. A large number of protesters torched buses on fire. A protest demanding reservation for the Maratha community in the Jalna district of the Marathwada region in Maharashtra took a violent turn. To control the violence police resorted to lathi charge to disperse a group of activists who were demanding reservation while in response, the protesters started pelting stones.
In Maharashtra’s Jalna district, traffic on the Latur Zaheerabad Highway affected due to burning of tires on the road in protest against the lathicharge on the Marathas. The Maratha Kranti Morcha began the protest by blocking both sides of the road, where members of the Maratha community, especially young protesters, burnt tyres, raised slogans and blocked traffic. As soon as the information about the incident was received, the Latur police took immediate action.
Bandh has been announced today in Beed, Latur, Dharashiv and Parbhani. Maratha organizations called emergency meetings in Mumbai and Nashik. At the same time, the leaders of the Maratha organization are going to gather in Kolhapur as well. Descendant of Shivaji Maharaj and BJP MP Udayanraje Bhosale is going to Jalna. Here he will meet the people of Maratha community who were injured in lathi charge. Apart from this, the bus service running on the Dhule-Solapur highway has been canceled due to Jalna violence. The ST committee has decided to temporarily cancel the bus service.
In support of the Maratha agitators, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar said that action will be taken against the guilty policemen who resorted to lathicharge. Appealed to the Maratha agitators to maintain peace.
On Friday, the ongoing protest in Jalna demanding reservation for Marathas turned violent. The demonstration turned into a clash between the agitators and the policemen. The police lathicharged the Maratha protesters. Many people and policemen were injured after this lathi charge. 45 Cops were injured in the incident, out of which 17 are women policemen.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case under sections 323, 353, 332, 147 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against more than 200 unknown people at Gondi police station in this matter.
At the same time, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar has blamed the Home Department of Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the Jalna incident.
