Pune: Maratha Youth Stages “Sholay” Style Protest In Alandi

Varad Bhatkhande

Alandi, 29th October 2023: A youth in Alandi has taken a dramatic step to demand Maratha community reservation, inspired by the iconic character Veeru from the movie “Sholay.” The protester, identified as Shrikant Kakade, has ascended a water tank and vowed not to descend until the Maratha community is granted reservation. This remarkable demonstration unfolded on Sunday, the 29th of October in the afternoon.

Across the state of Maharashtra, the Maratha Kranti Morcha continues its movement to secure reservations for the Maratha community and obtain an OBC caste certificate for their subcaste, Kunbi. Just two days ago, a former sarpanch tragically ended his life in Alandi by jumping into the Indrayani River, citing the lack of Maratha community reservation as the reason. In response to this tragedy, another protest has emerged in Alandi.

The specific incident occurred at a water tank near Lakshmi Chowk in Alandi, where Shrikant Kakade climbed atop the water tank, holding a placard that read, “One Maratha, Lakh Maratha.” In a video posted on social media, he expressed frustration with the government’s handling of the Maratha reservation and criticized the authorities for “hanging the Marathas.”

Srikant argued that the government’s actions are encouraging Marathas to take extreme measures like suicide, emphasizing the urgent need for the Maratha reservation. He also drew attention to the declining health of Manoj Jarange, a fellow protester. Shrikant firmly declared that he would remain in the water tank until Marathas were granted reservation and implored the government to act swiftly.

In response to this bold protest, the Alandi police, fire brigade personnel, and Maratha protestors converged on the scene, making efforts to persuade Srikant to descend from the water tank.

” Fire brigade has rescued Srikanth and has taken him down after talking with him”