Mumbai: Man dies by suicide seeking quota for Maratha community

Sunil Kawale, a resident of Chikangaon in Ambad tehsil of Jalna district, was found hanging from pole number 4 of a flyover between Bandra and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in the western part of the metropolis on Wednesday night, police said.

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a Jalna-based youth died by suicide in Mumbai pressing for the long-pending demand of reservation for the Maratha community, triggering a major political issue in Maharashtra on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Sunil Kawale, a 35-year-old from Ambad in Jalna district. 

The suicide comes at a time when Jalna-based activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who has been spearheading the demand for Maratha reservation, is touring Maharashtra as part of a major outreach programme. 

The deadline given by Jarange-Patil to the Centre and Maharashtra government to ensure reservation to Marathas ends on 24 October. 

Kawle reached Mumbai via Chhatrapati SambhajiNagar and hung himself from a flyover in the Bandra-Kurla Complex area. 

The police has recovered his mobile phone, personal belongings, and a suicide note in which he had written that he was ending his life for the sake of Maratha reservation,

Kawale’s body has been sent to the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital at Sion for post-mortem. 

The Kherwadi police are investigating the case. 

The body would be handed over to his relatives after necessary formalities. 

A pall of gloom descended in Chikangaon village in Ambad as the news of Kawale's suicide surfaced. 

Kawale was an active member of the Maratha Kranti Morcha, which had been seeking a quota for the community, and had attended all 58 rallies to press the demand over the years.