Maratha agitation | Section 144 in two districts, 49 arrested; attempt to block trains

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Maharashtra's Dharashiv and Beed districts after incidents of violence were reported during the ongoing agitation for Maratha reservation in Beed city on Monday (October 30) evening, while a group of people set ablaze a panchayat samiti office in Jalna district.

Police have arrested 49 people allegedly linked to the violence in Beed city.

The ongoing agitation seeking reservation for the Maratha community descended into violence and arson on Monday as quota protesters torched, vandalised homes or offices of at least three MLAs, targeted a municipal council building, set vehicles on fire and disrupted road traffic in Maharashtra.

Most of the violent incidents and arson took place in Beed district, where the local administration on Monday imposed a curfew till "further orders" in some parts and in one locality, police fired tear-gas shells to disperse a mob of Maratha agitators that had gathered outside the home of a Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA Prakash Solanke on fire.

“I was inside my home when it was attacked. Fortunately, none of my family members or staff were injured. We are all safe but there is a huge loss of property due to fire,” ANI quoted Solanke as saying.

The local office of the NCP and Municipal House building in Beed city were also torched in Beed on Monday.

Viral videos of the incident also showed the irate agitators torching government buses in Solapur and Pandharpur.

Protests in Jalna district

Some quota supporters chanting "Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha" reached the panchayat samiti office at Ghansawangi in Jalna district on Monday night (October 30), vandalised the premises and set it on fire, said the police.

Police rushed to the spot quickly and doused the flames, but some important documents and furniture in two rooms of the office were damaged, an official from Ghansawangi police station said.

In a separate incident in Jalna, some youth from the Maratha community tried to block trains at a railway gate in Shelgaon village of Badnapur tehsil on Monday afternoon (October 30), a railway official said.

The protesters sat on the railway tracks in a bid to disrupt train services.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and other railway officials rushed to the spot and spoke to the protesters, explaining the legal consequences of obstructing train services.

“The protesters left from the spot after the interaction," RPF sub-inspector Sandeep Kumar said.

The protests have intensified amid an indefinite fast by activist Manoj Jarange, who has been on a fast since October 25 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. He was on a fast between August 29 and September 14 and had called it off after the government assured him of taking necessary steps into his demands.

On Monday, Jarange urged protesters to refrain from engaging in violence and arson.

Section 144 in Beed; schools, shops closed

In Beed, while prohibitory orders have been imposed, police have arrested 49 people in connection with Monday’s violence, an official said on Tuesday (October 31).

The situation is currently under control, Beed Superintendent of Police Nandkumar Thakur told PTI.

As per the order issued by Beed Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde, the curfew has been enforced in a periphery of 5 km from the collector office, head offices of talukas along with all national highways passing through the district, another official said.

The order will be applicable to schools, colleges and shops in the district, it said.

However, shops selling medicines and milk, and government offices, banks, public transport services, hospitals and media have been exempted.

Agitations and hunger strikes over the demand for reservation to the Maratha community have been going on in various parts of the district.

In Dharasiv, the assembly of more than five people is not allowed during the curfew period, as per an order issued on Monday night by district collector Sachin Ombase.

The curfew is imposed under section 144 (2) of the CrPC in the district and will continue till further orders, an official release said.

FIR registered after vandalism at BJP MLA’s office

Police have registered an FIR against a number of people for vandalising the office of BJP MLA Prashant Bamb in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district during the agitation for Maratha reservation, an official said on Tuesday (October 31).

Some Maratha quota supporters, armed with wooden sticks, vandalised Bamb's office in Gangapur area on Monday (October 30).

They damaged window panes and furniture inside the office of the ruling party legislator.

A case has been registered against seven identified and 10-15 unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Sections 452 (house trespass with intention of causing hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 427 (mischief causing damage), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 143 and 144 (unlawful assembly), a police release said.

KKRTC suspends bus services to Maharashtra

The Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) has suspended its bus services to Maharashtra after one of its buses was set on fire by protesters at Omerga in that state during the ongoing agitation for Maratha reservation.

However, no one was injured in the incident, a transport department official said on Tuesday.

The state owned KKRTC bus was proceeding to Pune from Bhalki in Bidar when the incident occurred.

"No one was injured in this incident as the protesters deboarded all the passengers and set the bus on fire. Quickly alternative arrangements were made to take the passengers to their destination," he said.

"We will stop bus operations till normalcy is restored," the official added.

What happened on Monday?

On Monday morning, the residence of NCP MLA Solanke at Majalgaon town in Beed district was set on fire and stones were hurled at it by a group of quota agitators.

The group also set ablaze a car parked at the residence of Solanke after an audio clip of the MLA, in which he purportedly spoke about the Maratha quota agitation and made a veiled comment on the fasting quota activist Manoj Jarange, went viral.

After the arson at the legislator's home, a group of Maratha reservation activists dispersed from there and later set ablaze the first floor of the Majalgaon Municipal Council building and vandalised it.

A group of Maratha quota activists barged into the residential premises and office of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed city and set them on fire on Monday evening.

In another incident, the residence of former state minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar was torched and pelted with stones in Beed city by protesters.

A mob of Maratha agitators had also gathered outside the residence of NCP (Ajit pawar faction) leader Amarsingh Pandit and police fired tear-gas shells to disperse them.

Maratha community members have been staging protests in different parts of the state seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category.

(With inputs from agencies)