Not Marathas but anti-social elements torched my house, says NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar

Days after his house was torched by a violent mob in Beed, NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar claimed that the attack was not carried out by Maratha protesters but by anti-social elements and that he would soon expose all of them with evidence.“Beed city witnessed a number of violent incidents on October 30. My house was also attacked. My child, wife and entire family were inside the house. However, by God’s grace and blessings of people we all are safe,” Kshirsagar said, in a post on social media.

Kshirsagar, who hails from the Teli (OBC) community, said that he supports the fast called by Manoj Jarange Patil and has been saying that the Maratha community should be given Kunbi certificates. “I will continue to work towards solving the Maratha reservation issue,” he said.

Apart from Kshirsagar’s house, the NCP office in Beed was also torched by the mob on October 30. A day later the Maharashtra government on Tuesday hardened its stand by announcing to invoke attempt to murder charges against those who resorted to arson, even as Patil blamed the ruling party for the violence and challenged the government to “go ahead” with filing FIRs. After a cabinet meeting, Deputy Chief Minister and state Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that those involved in torching the house of an elected representative will face a case under Section 307 (attempting to commit murder) of the Indian Penal Code.These ongoing incidents of violence have created a tense environment in Beed. Prior to this, Maratha protesters set fire to the office of KSK College, an institution associated with the Kshirsagar family.

On Monday, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) suspended its services from Pune to two Marathwada districts after protestors advocating for Maratha community reservation threw stones at several buses, an official reported. Bus services between Pune and the Beed and Latur districts in Marathwada were disrupted during the day, with several buses traveling through Beed being canceled. These buses were targeted and vandalized by unruly mobs at multiple locations, according to Dnyaneshwar Ranavare, the depot in-charge at Shivajinagar.