Protest For Maratha Reservation Turns Violent In Jalna, Police Use Lathi Charge To Disperse Crowd
Jalna 1st Sept 2023: A protest demanding reservation for Maratha community in Antarwali Sarathi village of Jalna district turned violent on Friday. At least 18 police personnel including some senior officers and around 20 protestors were injured in a violent clash after the police team used baton-charge to disperse the crowd.
The protestors also torched public transport buses and private vehicles. The villagers have been on hunger strike since Tuesday under the leadership of Manoj Jarange to demand reservation for the community and the commercial shops in the village were kept closed to support the ongoing protest. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had also spoken to the protestors on Wednesday to urge them to withdraw their strike but the protestors refused to relent.
The incident attracted criticism from political parties across the state. NCP Chief Sharad Pawar even said that he will visit the village if the state government fails to manage the situation and convince the villagers. He further said that the protest was going on peacefully and and the protestors were already in talks with police but despite that the police forces used lathicharge which further escalated the problem leading to a violent clash.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde called the incident unfortunate and urged the protestors to remain calm. He also assured that a detailed enquiry will be conducted into the incident and those responsible will be punished.
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