Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Former legislative assembly speaker and MLA Haribhau Bagade had to face the wrath of the Maratha activists during the last rites of the agitator Sunil Kawale on Friday. The agitators shouted slogans and demanded Bagade’s resignation. Considering the tense situation, Bagade immediately left the crematorium before the rites were performed.
The fight for the Maratha reservation is getting severe across the state now. Activist Sunil Kawale committed suicide by hanging himself in Mumbai for this demand on Thursday. The Maratha community agitators were aggressive with this incident. The impact of the incident was seen during the last rites of Sunil at Mukundwadi crematorium on Friday morning. Bagade was present during the funeral. The activists asked him what he had done for the Maratha reservation. They told him to resign if his party did not listen to him. Bagade tried to convince the agitators, but they were not in the mood to listen. As the situation was getting more and more tense, the police requested Bagade to leave. Meanwhile, the activists shouted the slogan of Sunil Kawale Amar Rahe and Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha.
ACP Ranjeet Pail and other senior officers had maintained a strict police bandobast during the cremation.
Meanwhile, MLA Narayan Kuche and former MLA Dr Kalyan Kale also went to the funeral, but the police stopped them midway and sent them back.
The cremation was performed on Sunil at Mukundwadi in a very aggrieved atmosphere. His nephew formed the last rites. The dignitaries present appealed to the people not to take any extreme steps and to fight for their rights in a peaceful manner.