Maratha Quota Protest: 500 Booked For Burning Tyres, Blocking Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway In Pune

Maharashtra police has booked around 500 activists, who staged a protest in Pune on Tuesday seeking reservation to the Maratha community, for allegedly blocking a stretch of Mumbai-Bengaluru NH.

Protestors burning tyres and blocking the Mumbai-Bengaluru national highway in Pune on Tuesday seeking Maratha reservation. ( Image Source :PTI )

A day after agitators burnt tyres and blocked a stretch of the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway in Pune, the city police on Wednesday booked 500 activists after registering offences against them. According to officials, a case has been filed against them for allegedly blocking a stretch of the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway and setting tyres ablaze, reported PTI. The protestors, seeking quota for the Maratha community on Tuesday blocked the highway stretch near Navale bridge in Maharashtra's Pune city between 12.15 pm and 2.45 pm. They also burnt tyres to press their demand for reservation, police said.

The police said they have registered offences against 400 to 500 activists of the Maratha Kranti Morcha and Sakal Maratha Morcha on various charges, that include causing danger to the lives of others and spreading fear among commuters, the agency reported. 

The activists have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Maharashtra Police Act and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, the police added. 

This comes as all parties on Wednesday agreed to provide a quota to the Maratha community and the decision for the same was taken in an all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Speaking after the meeting, CM Shinde said all the members present at the meet agreed to the provision of reservation to the Maratha community. "However, the reservation should be within the framework of the law and without doing injustice to other communities," he said.

However, the CM urged Manoj Jarange Patil, the man who is leading the protests, to have faith in the government and maintain peace in the state.

"...I request Manoj Jarange Patil to have faith in the efforts of the government...This protest has started taking a new direction...Common people should not feel insecure. I request all to maintain peace and cooperate with the state government..." Shinde said, as quoted by ANI.