In a distressing turn of events, a peaceful protest demanding reservation for the Maratha community in Antarwali Sarathi village of Jalna district, Maharashtra, took a violent and unfortunate turn on Friday. The clash resulted in injuries to both police personnel and protestors, as well as the torching of public transport buses and private vehicles. This incident has sparked widespread criticism and raised questions about the handling of such demonstrations.
The Protest and Its Escalation
The protest, led by Manoj Jarange, had been ongoing since Tuesday, with the villagers staging a hunger strike to emphasize their demand for Maratha community reservation. As a show of solidarity, commercial shops in the village remained closed to support the protestors.
Despite Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s efforts to engage with the protestors and urge them to end their strike, the demonstrators stood their ground. The situation escalated when the police resorted to lathicharge, using baton-charges to disperse the crowd. Tragically, at least 18 police personnel, including senior officers, and approximately 20 protestors sustained injuries in the process.
The Violence and Its Consequences
During the clash, public transport buses and private vehicles were torched, further exacerbating the chaos and causing damage to property. This unfortunate turn of events has raised concerns about the escalating violence during protests in the region.
Political Reactions
The incident has not gone unnoticed by political leaders across the state. NCP Chief Sharad Pawar expressed his concern and stated that he would visit the village if the state government failed to manage the situation and convince the villagers. Pawar pointed out that the protest had been peaceful until the police resorted to lathicharge, which escalated the situation unnecessarily.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, while addressing the incident, called it unfortunate and urged the protestors to remain calm. He promised that a thorough inquiry would be conducted to determine the responsible parties and ensure they face appropriate consequences for their actions.
