Maratha quota agitation: Security tightened at Mantralaya, ministers' & politicans' homes

Mantralaya/ File Pic

In the aftermath of the Maratha quota agitation turning violent and protestors targeting politicians' homes and offices in parts of the Marathwada region in Maharashtra, heightened security measures have been put in place across the state, stated a PTI report.

On Monday, protesters resorted to arson and vandalism, particularly in Beed district, where they targeted the residences or offices of three MLAs from different parties, including the NCP and BJP. Additionally, a municipal council building was also affected. On the same day, a group set fire to a panchayat samiti office in Ghansawangi, Jalna.

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In response to these incidents, the police have increased security at significant locations, including the Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai. The authorities were especially vigilant as a cabinet meeting was scheduled during the day, the report added.

According to the report, police personnel have been deployed outside the residences of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other prominent political figures in Mumbai. This includes Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, as well as ministers Chandrakant Patil, Deepak Kesarkar, Dada Bhuse, and other leaders such as Ambadas Danve and Ashok Chavan.

Security measures have been enhanced in other parts of the state, extending to the offices of political parties. Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party have all seen a significant police presence outside their respective offices in south Mumbai, it further mentioned.

Meanwhile, services of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses have been entirely stopped in the Marathwada region amid violence over demand for reservations for the Maratha community. Reportedly, bus services in Parbhani, Dharashiv, Latur, Jalna and Nanded districts have been suspended completely for the past three to four days.

Over 85 MSRTC buses were damaged by the agitators with 70 buses being damaged in Beed; the officials said four buses were torched as well.

Reportedly, the corporation has faced a loss of Rs 4 crore so far due to an attack on its properties meanwhile, they are facing losses of Rs 2 to 2.5 crore daily due to suspension of services.

With PTI inputs