Pune: Maratha Community Stages Chain Fast for Reservation at Shivneri Fort
Junnar, 27th October 2023: In a symbolic act of protest, members of the Maratha community from five villages in the vicinity, namely Yenere, Vitthalwadi, Kale, Datkhilewadi, and Katede, have initiated a chain hunger strike in front of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the base of the historic Shivneri Fort. The fast commenced on Friday, the 27th, and is ongoing.
Amit Dhole, Pradeep Ghogare, Vishwas Kale, Jaywant Datkhile, Minnath Datkhile, Ashok Kabadi, Kuldeep Naikodi, Ravindra Pansare, Shashikant Pansare, Chandrasekhar Chilap, Pravesh Deokar, Narendra Deokar, Dattatrey Dhole, Ulhas Navale, Vinod Deokar, Mhatarba Dhole, Babu Ghogare, and more than fifty Maratha community members were present to show their support. The movement has garnered participants from over thirty villages in the Junnar area, where Maratha community members have committed to fasting at the foothills of Shivneri for one day each.
Leaders of the Sakal Maratha community, including Sunil Dhobale, Sandesh Barve, Narendra Kasar, Vivek Khandagale, Vivek Papade, Saurabh Gunjal, Sanjay Khandagale, and Sachin Chavan, have joined in this demonstration.
This protest is part of the ongoing movement initiated by Manoj Jarange Patil, advocating for the Maratha reservation. The cause has been met with an enthusiastic response from Maratha community members, encompassing youth, women, and seniors. As a part of this movement, flexes have been prohibited for political leaders, and a chain fast is in progress until the Maratha community in various villages within the taluka secures their reservation rights.
On the second day of the chain fast at Tejewadi, women actively participated, and the hunger strike received support from prominent villages in the taluka. Several villages have reported instances of a village bandh, further demonstrating the solidarity and determination of the Maratha community in their quest for reservation.
