Maratha quota stir: Sr cop visits violence-hit Beed; 99 people held so far

Maratha quota agitation, Maratha quota, protest, Maratha reservation

Maratha Kranti Morcha activists burn tires and other flammable objects during a protest on the Pune-Solapur highway to push for Maratha reservation in Solapur (Photo: PTI)

Maharashtra’s Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Saxena has visited Beed district to take stock of the situation following widespread violence there during the Maratha quota agitation, an official said on Wednesday.

So far, 99 people have been arrested in connection with the Beed violence and the situation is currently under control, he said.

Senior IPS officer Saxena went to Beed on Tuesday and assessed the situation. He will also submit a report on the situation to the government, the official said.

Beed police have so far registered more than 30 violations and arrested 99 people in connection with the violence, he said.

Following the violence on Monday, a curfew was imposed in Maharashtra’s central Beed district and internet services were suspended.

The residence of Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar group) MLA Prakash Solanke in Beed’s Majalgaon town was set on fire and stones thrown at it by a group of quota agitators on Monday morning.

The group also set fire to a car parked near the house after an audio clip of the MLA in which he allegedly spoke about the Maratha quota agitation and made a veiled comment about quota activist Manoj Jarange being on indefinite leave. fasting, went viral.

Later, the protesters set fire to the first floor of Majalgaon Municipal Hall.

Another group of protesters invaded and set fire to the residential buildings and office of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed town on Monday evening.

Former Maharashtra minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar’s residence in the city was also set on fire.

Police fired tear gas shells to disperse a crowd that had gathered outside NCP leader Amarsingh Pandit’s residence.

(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

First print: November 1, 2023 | 9:58 am IST