INDIA. Mumbai: In the ongoing agitation for Maratha quota in jobs and educational institutions that commenced on October 24 across Maharashtra, properties valued at Rs 12 crore have been vandalized and set ablaze.
State Director General of Police Rajnish Seth revealed these figures at a press conference held at the state police headquarters in South Mumbai on Wednesday.
As part of the protests, 141 cases have been registered, leading to the arrest of 168 individuals.
Notably, Beed district in the Marathwada region witnessed 20 cases, including seven offenses under section 307 (Attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) between October 24 and 31. The police have issued notices to 146 accused persons under section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The turmoil resulted in the first-floor municipal council building in Majalgaon town, Beed district, being set on fire, with protestors pelting stones at it. Furthermore, the residences of Nationalist Congress Party MLAs Prakash Solanke and Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed district were torched by the quota demonstrators.
In Gangapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district (formerly Aurangabad), the office of BJP MLA Prashant Bamb was ransacked, and its windows were shattered by stick-wielding protesters.
To maintain law and order and prevent untoward incidents, a Rapid Action Force (RAF) company has been deployed in Beed, with prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC issued.
Additionally, 17 companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) have been stationed at sensitive locations throughout Maharashtra, along with 7,000 home guards assisting the police.
In response to the unrest, internet services have been suspended for 48 hours in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (rural), Jalna, and Beed.
The state cyber police are particularly focused on monitoring social movements and are urging the public not to fall for false rumors.
Members of the Maratha community have initiated a fresh round of protests, demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions. Quota activist Manoj Jarange has been on an indefinite fast in a village in Jalna district since October 25.
During an all-party meeting on Maratha quota, chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, leaders passed a resolution on Wednesday urging activist Manoj Jarange to end his indefinite fast.
The resolution also stressed the importance of granting reservation to the Maratha community without altering the existing quotas for other communities in the state. Notably, representatives of Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS were not invited to the meeting.
Despite these efforts, Jarange has refused to relent, questioning why the government requires more time to provide reservation.
He has insisted that the state government should unequivocally commit to granting reservation to the entire community and has even threatened to stop drinking water.
Chief Minister Shinde informed the media that the Justice (retired) Sandip Shinde Committee has examined 70,659 documents, out of which 11,530 certificates were found to belong to the Kunbi community.
Some of these documents are in Marathi, while others are in Urdu. Additionally, the Justice Nirgude Committee is reviewing the criteria based on which the Supreme Court had previously rejected the petition concerning Maratha quota.
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