Hundreds of protesters, led by Manoj Jarange-Patil, a local Maratha leader, have been sitting on a hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village demanding reservations for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. It was only after his health deteriorated on the fourth day of the fast-unto-death agitation, that police intervened in the agitation on Friday and the lathi charge that followed it stirred the state politics.
The clash between Patil's supporters and the Jalna Police has led to anger within the Maratha community. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to Manoj Jarange Patil over the phone. On the phone, Fadnavis said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has invited him to meet and has also asked to discuss his demands.Fadnavis also said that action will be taken against those who are guilty in this case, could the police have stopped the lathi-charge? The government never supports such lathi-charge.Action will be taken against any officer who is guilty, he said. Fadnavis further asserted that if any case has been wrongly registered against anyone, it will be withdrawn. The solution to every question can be extracted from the discussion. Moreover, Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan is also reaching out to meet Manoj Jarange Patil.