'Nashik bandh' call by Maratha outfits against police lathi-charge in Jalna gets mixed response

The 'bandh' call given by some Maratha organisations in Nashik district of Maharashtra to protest against the recent police lathi-charge on the agitators demanding quota for the community in Jalna, evoked a mixed response on Sunday.

The bandh call was given by 'Sakal Maratha Samaj' and 'Maratha Kranti Morcha'. On Friday, an agitation seeking reservation for the Maratha community turned violent at Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district, leading to several people, including dozens of police personnel, getting injured. Police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob that allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on a hunger strike as part of the quota stir to the hospital.

The Maratha Kranti Morcha and other organisations took out a protest march in Nashik city this morning. It began from the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and moved through several areas such as Ravivar Karanja and Main Road.


They appealed to shop-keepers to keep the outlets and business establishments shut. In response, the shops were closed in some parts of the city for some time and were opened in the afternoon. Bus and other necessary services were not affected. But buses are not being operated to Jalna and Ahmednagar by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).

"People from across the district took part in the bandh voluntarily. We did not force them to participate,"Swarajya Party state convener Karan Gaykar.

"State Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis should take the responsibility for the Jalna lathi-charge incident and resign. The rulers should not dare to do injustice with the Maratha community," he said.

In view of the bandh call, police kept strict vigil in main areas across the city. Meanwhile, a 'rasta roko' (road blockade) agitation over the issue was staged at the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Chowk on Vani-Saputara Road in the morning. As a result, traffic on the road came to a standstill for an hour.