Following two days of violence in Maharashtra’s Jalna district with protesters demanding reservations for the Maratha community in education and government jobs, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has appealed for peace and said that the state government is committed to extending reservation to the Maratha community. This comes after state deputy CM Ajit Pawar took cognizance of the matter and said that strict action would be taken against police officers who used ‘excessive force.’
Violence had broken out on Friday in Jalna after protesters clashed with the police and allegedly pelted stones on them, leading to lathicharge and use of teargas. Around 20 protesters and 37 cops were injured during the clash at Antarwali Sarathi village in Ambad tehsil, the police said. Over the last few days, hundreds of protesters, led by Manoj Jarange a local Maratha leader have been sitting on a hunger-strike demanding reservation. At least seven FIRs have so far been registered by the police against the protesters on charges such as assault on policemen, rioting, damage to public and private property.