Satara: Pune-Bengaluru Highway Blocked Due to Dhangar Community Protest, Hundreds of Vehicles Caught in Traffic Jam

Khandala (Satara), 1st December 2023: Members of the Dhangar community in Khandala taluk, Satara district, Maharashtra, are staging a protest demanding reservation, causing a major traffic jam on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway.
The state-level agitation was initiated from Khambataki ghat in Khandala taluk. The head of the reservation struggle committee expressed their determination to continue the protest until a decision on reservation is made.
The father of the Dhangar agitation, BK Kokare, had ignited the torch at Khambataki Ghat 34 years ago. In a symbolic gesture, the Dhangar community chose to launch the current protest from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk in Khandala.
Their primary demand is inclusion in the scheduled tribe (ST) reservation, a plea they have made for many years.