Various Maratha organisations demonstrated against the police use of lethal force against quota protesters in Jalna on Monday in Baramati, Pune District, Maharashtra, and demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar quit the Shiv Sena-BJP government.
In Pune city, opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar group), and Congress took to the streets in Kothrud area and warned the government not to test the patience of the Maratha community. In Baramati, members of Maratha outfits raised slogans asking local NCP MLA and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to quit the government. Slogans were also raised against BJP leader and another Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who handles the Home Department.
Fadnavis, who is deputy chief minister in the Eknath Shinde-led government, has failed to make any efforts for Maratha reservation over the last year. Do not test the patience of Marathas, said Ankush Kakade, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, during the agitation in Pune city. Local leaders of Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) also joined the agitation.
Antarwali Sarathi village in the Jalna district experienced a violent mob on Friday when demonstrators allegedly refused to allow authorities to move a man who was on a hunger strike for the Maratha quota to the hospital. Police baton charged the area and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. In the course of the violence, a number of people were hurt, including 40 police officers, and more than 15 state transport vehicles were set ablaze.