Maratha quota: Manoj Jarange Patil, others booked for illegal protests seeking reservation under OBC category

Manoj Jarange/ File Photo

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil and his supporters have been charged with two counts of holding unauthorised demonstrations and obstructing highways in Maharashtra's Beed district, police confirmed on Monday. Despite Jarange's absence from the demonstration sites, cases were filed against him as the protests were organised in response to his call, according to an official statement, reported PTI.

According to the report, approximately, 80 people were accused of offences such as unlawful assembly, disobedience to a lawful order, wrongful restraint, and violations of Maharashtra Police Act Section 135.

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The protests took place on Saturday in Jatnandur Phata in Shirur village and on Beed-Ahmed Nagar Road in Patoda, where participants expressed their dissatisfaction with the state government and obstructed traffic flow, the report added.

Per the PTI report, these demonstrations took place without the appropriate approvals from authorities and in violation of prohibitory orders issued by the Beed district collector.

Since the protests began in response to Jarange's appeal, he has been labelled as one of the accused, along with others.

Jarange has been campaigning for the execution of a draft regulation released by the Maharashtra government last month that seeks to grant certificates to blood relations of eligible Kunbi Marathas. The Kunbi community is classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC), the report added.

Jarange's demands include the granting of Kunbi certificates to blood relations of Kunbi Marathas, as well as a quota for the Maratha community under OBC categorisation.

On Sunday, Jarange announced his plan to fly to Mumbai to urge his demands, accusing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of blocking the draft notification's execution, the report added. After a 17-day hunger strike, Jarange ended his protest on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court ruled on Monday that the Maharashtra government cannot remain silent in the face of intensifying Maratha quota protests and must take action to protect law and order.

A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Shyam Chandak said that the administration has not sought court directives to regulate the situation while hearing a plea filed by Advocate Gunaratan Sadavarte against protests organised by Manoj Jarange.

Jarange's counsel, VM Thorat, had told the court last week that the movement will be peaceful; however, on Monday, Sadavarte told the court that agitation had become violent in various parts of Maharashtra.