Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.
Credit: PTI Photo
A day after police lathi-charged a group of agitators in Jalna district demanding reservation for the Maratha community, the Maharashtra government announced a high level probe even as the two descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and top politicians converged in the Marathwada down.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has lashed out at the Eknath Shinde-led BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government asking it to step down.
Security has been beefed up across the state as reports of protests came in which included torching of vehicles.
The campaign for demand of Maratha reservation has been going on for several years but this is for the first time that it took such a violent turn.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale of Satara and Yuvraj Sambhaji Chhatrapati, the 13th descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, were among those who visited and spoke to the protesters.
More than two dozen people including police personnel were injured after a protest demanding reservation to the Maratha community in Antarwali Sarathi village turned violent.
The protesters, led by Manoj Jarange, had been staging a hunger strike demanding reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs, since Tuesday.
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said "a call from the higher-ups" changed the attitude of the police at the protest site and action was taken "despite the stir being peaceful".
MVA leaders have called for the resignation of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio.
In Mumbai, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that a high-level probe has been announced. “The state government is trying its best to resolve the issue,” he said and appealed to people, leaders and activists to be calm.
Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray said that the announcement of the probe is nothing but an eyewash.
“The police also hit young children and women, due to which many people have been injured. The situation is tense in the state, and this is a result of the authoritarian regime in power. Without orders from the government, the police cannot take such a rash step,” said state Congress president Nana Patole.
“Fadnavis assured reservations for the Dhangar community and the Maratha community. What happened to that? A year has passed since he came to power, why hasn't the reservation been provided yet? Fadnavis has also messed up the reservation of the OBC community and now he is blaming the opposition. The public has recognised the true face of the BJP, and the public has resolved to oust the BJP from power,” he added.
In a related development, Mangesh Sabale, the Sarpanch of Gevrai Payga in Phulambri tehsil in Aurangabad, sent a powerful message by setting his own car on fire that he had purchased just a year ago.