Police have arrested 49 people in connection with the violence in Maharashtra’s Beed district during the ongoing Maratha sanctuary agitation, an official said on Tuesday.
A curfew was imposed in parts of Beed district on Monday evening following a series of incidents of violence and arson against politicians’ properties.
The situation is currently under control, Beed Superintendent of Police Nandkumar Thakur told PTI.
“Crimes of rioting and endangering life have been filed in connection with the incidents. So far, 49 agitators have been arrested. There was no untoward incident during the night and the situation is under control,” he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in the district to maintain law and order, the official said.
As per the order of Beed Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde, the curfew has been enforced in a periphery of 5 kilometers from the collectorate, head offices of talukas and all national highways passing through the district, another official said.
On Monday morning, the residence of NCP (Ajit Pawar group) MLA Prakash Solanke in Majalgaon town of Beed district was set on fire and stones were hurled at it by a group of quota agitators, police said earlier.
The group also set fire to a car parked at Solanke’s residence after an audio clip of the MLA, in which he allegedly spoke about the Maratha quota agitation and made a veiled comment about fasting quota activist Manoj Jarange, went viral went.
After the arson at the legislator’s house, a group of Maratha reservation activists dispersed from there and later set fire to and vandalized the first floor of the Majalgaon Municipal Hall.
A group of Maratha quota activists invaded and set fire to the residential buildings and office of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed town on Monday evening.
In another incident, former state minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar’s residence in Beed town was set on fire and pelted with stones by protesters.
A mob of Maratha agitators had also gathered outside the residence of NCP (Ajit pawar faction) leader Amarsingh Pandit and police fired tear gas shells to disperse them.
The violence and arson took place at a time when Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been continuing his indefinite hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district since October 25 in support of the demand for reservation.
Members of the Maratha community have staged protests in various parts of the state, seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category.
(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.)