Maharashtra: More than 360 booked for violence over Maratha quota in Jalna

A day after a protest over Maratha quota turned violent in Maharashtras Jalna leading to some police personnel and others getting injured the situation is under control on Saturday and the police have filed a case against more than 360 persons of whom 16 have been identified for their alleged involvement in violence an official told PTIPolice used batoncharge and fired teargas shells to disperse a violent mob at Antarwali Sarathi village on DhuleSolapur road in Ambad tehsil around 75 km from Aurangabad on FridayThe protesters led by Manoj Jarange had been staging a hunger strike demanding reservation for the Maratha community at the village since Tuesday The trouble began when police tried to shift Jarange to a hospital on doctors advice officials told PTIThe agitation turned violent as some persons targeted state transport buses and private vehicles police told PTI Villagers claimed that police fired some rounds in the air but officials did not confirm itOn Saturday the agitators remained firm on their demand and said they would continue with the stir till the government provides reservation to the community They also questioned the police action against their peaceful agitation and asked why they fired bullets in the air and lathicharged the protestersAccording to police around 40 police personnel and some other persons were injured in the violence The protesters torched at least 15 state transport buses and some private vehicles they saidAn offence was registered at Gondi police station in Jalna against 16 agitators who have been identified and around 350 others for their involvement in violence on Friday a senior police official told PTIThe case was filed under Indian Penal Code IPC sections 307 attempt to murder 333 voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty 353 assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty and others he saidPolice personnel and a company of the State Reserve Police Force SRPF are now deployed at the village the official told PTIJalna Superintendent of Police SPTushar Doshi told PTI Nearly 40 police personnel were injured in the violence yesterday Police used plastic bullets and tear shells to disperse the protesters and bring the situation under control No arrest has been so far and the situation is under control nowChief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday made an appeal for peace and announced that a committee will be set up for a highlevel probe into the violence while Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed that the police were forced to use batoncharge due to stone peltingThe reservation provided by the state government for the politically dominant Maratha community was quashed by the Supreme Court earlierTalking to reporters in Antarwali Sarathi village this morning protest spearhead Jarange said The hunger strike wont be called off now Our sisters and the entire village have been protesting in a peaceful manner The CM has formed a committee over the Maratha reservation but it has not submitted a report and hence we are agitating reported PTIShowing a bullet in hand he said These bullets were fired and we were lathicharged inhumanly Women were also beaten up Are we Pakistanis or do we have relatives in that country Why did they fire We will not stop until we get a reservation let CM Shinde fire as many bullets as he wantsA woman who has also been on a hunger strike with Jarange sought to know why the police lathicharged the protestersWhat was the need for the police to disturb the atmosphere here If we wanted to beat someone then we would have come with lathis in our handsThe government should provide reservation to the Maratha community she saidFormer MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and prominent Maratha leader visited Antarwali Sarathi village on Saturday morning and extended his support to those agitating for the quota demandAddressing media persons he said Those on hunger strike here are followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and not of Mughals or Nizams Firing on people and using lathis against them used to happen during the era of Mughals and NizamsFor how many more years the community will have to fight for the reservation demand The government must tell when they will provide reservation The same party rules the state as well as at the Centre he saidThe government should withdraw the cases registered against the protesters the founder of Swarajya organisation said adding that 58 peaceful marches were taken out across the state over the Maratha quota demand in the pastMeanwhile an official told PTI that Nationalist Congress Party NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is scheduled to visit Antarwali Sarathi village postnoon on Saturday He will arrive in Aurangabad and then go to the village He will also visit the subdistrict hospital in Ambad and a primary health centreIn the wake of the violence in which several state transport buses were torched the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC has decided to run buses only on selected routes in the division for the time beingMSRTCs Divisional Controller Sachin Kshirsagar told PTI Nearly 350 buses have been kept off roads in different depots of the division Buses are not being operated on AurangabadAhmednagarPune Beed Jalna Paithan routes from Aurangabad Limited number of buses are being released on certain routesWith inputs from PTI