Beed: A curfew was imposed in parts of Maharashtra’s Beed district after large-scale violence and arson during the ongoing agitation for Maratha reservation. Internet services were also been shut in Beed in central Maharashtra. The development came after protesters vandalised the houses of politicians and public places in Beed. The homes of two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs and a former minister were set on fire as the opposition party Shiv Sena (UBT) demanded convening a special session of Parliament to discuss demands for the Maratha reservation.
Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde issued the curfew order after a series of incidents of violence and arson targeting properties of politicians in Beed city and the district. According to the order, agitations and hunger strikes are on in different parts of Beed district in support of the demand for providing a quota in government jobs and educational institutions to Maratha community members.
The agitation became intense from midnight of October 29 when buses and government vehicles of various officials were torched in the district, it said.
On Monday, marches were taken out to various government offices in the district and some of them were set on fire and pelted with stones, leading to loss of public as well as private properties on a large-scale, said the order.
Inspector General of Police (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar range) Dnyaneswar Chavan told PTI that , “Security has been beefed up at the residences, offices of public representatives and ministers. Additional force has been deployed in Beed district.” Earlier in the day, the residence of NCP (Ajit Pawar group) MLA Solanke at Majalgaon town in Beed district was set on fire and stones were hurled at it by a group of quota agitators late in the morning, police said.
A group of Maratha quota activists barged into the residential premises and office of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed city and set them on fire in the evening, he said.
In another incident, the residence of former state minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar was torched and pelted with stones in Beed city by protesters.
The violence and arson took place at a time when Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange is continuing his indefinite hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, where his fast entered the 6th day on Monday, in support of the reservation demand.
Maratha community members have been staging protests in different parts of the state seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category.
(With PTI inputs)
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.
