Wide-spread protests across the state of Maharashtra on Tuesday brought an abrupt halt to the life in the state. Violence and damage to public property was seen across several places in Maharashtra with reports stating the damage being done to shops and vehicles increasing with every hour. However, Maratha Kranti Morcha called for a peaceful protest to be followed today, but things took a nasty turn. The protestors took to railway tracks to block the local train routes in Thane, while making it difficult for the traffic to manoeuvre on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, even Sio Panvel highway was completely blocked. But after seeing the peaceful protest turn into a violent one, the Maratha Kranti Morcha has called off the protests.
Violence has taken over the routine life of Maharashtra, as the state has been hit by state-wide protests. The protests erupted after a man jumped to death into a river in Aurangabad district on Monday, demanding reservation for the Maratha community in the state. Maratha Kranti Morcha has been at the forefront demanding quota for 30 per cent of the total population of the state. After the death of the 28-year-old farmer, Maratha Kranti Morcha and several pro-Maratha outfits called for a state-wide bandh demanding an apology from Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and institutions.
Here the 10 key highlights from Maharashtra Bandh:
- The death of 28-year old farmer, who jumped to death in Godavari river situated in Aurangabad district in Maharashtra, demanding reservation quota for Maratha community, as the Chief Minister has failed to bring in reservation for the community.
- Maratha Kranti Morcha and several pro-Maratha outfits called for a state-wide bandh after the death of Kakabhai Shinde on Monday. The man was protesting against the delay of BJP government to allow reservation in jobs and education.
- The state-wide protests led by Maratha Kranti Morcha asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to apologise for the death of 28-year old farmer and fulfil the promise made by the BJP government to bring in reservation for the Maratha community.
- The Protestors attacked and burnt down a fire brigade vehicle at Aurangabad, while tyres were burnt outside a government office in Osmanabad. A group of protestors hijacked the railway track in Parbhani district and halted a train, while Shirdi and Sangli in Ahmednagar district also reported incidents of violent protests.
- Aurangabad Member of Parliament Chandrakant Khaire’s car was attacked by a local mob in the morning, when the Shiv Sena MP was heading to attend the cremation of Kakbhai Shinde, earlier Maratha outfits planned refused to the cremate until their demands were met by the Maharashtra CM.
- Two more people attempted to commit suicide this morning in protest against government’s failure to apologise for the death of fellow protestor Kakabhai Shinde and meet the demands of the Maratha community that forms the 30 per cent population of the state.
- Protestors in Parbhani’s Gangakhed vandalised a police and 12 other vehicles, while setting ablaze another. The mob of protestors clashed with the police force of Aurangabad, injuring one policeman in the process.
- Shiv Sena has come out in support of Maratha protestors, as the party leader and Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai calls out the authorities that promised reservation to come forward and sort out the issue before it turns into an ugly protest damaging the state property and causing disrupting the peace and security of the state.
- Internet services have been shut down in Aurangabad district to stop the protestors from circulating messages and bring the situation under control. The protestors have already disrupted the peace and security in several places where the protests became violent as shops,vehicles, and government offices came under attack by angry and violent mobs across the state.
- Maratha groups have planned to take the protest to the city of Mumbai without disrupting the schools and colleges. The Maratha Kranti Morcha came out to call for a peaceful bandh in Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad to be observed on Wednesday. The government has come out and asked the protestors to stop their protests. The minister invited the groups to indulge in a peaceful dialogue and work out a solution for the demands of reservation for the Maratha community.
