The Maratha Kranti Morcha has called for a bandh in Kalyan, Maharashtra, to protest the police baton charge on Maratha quota protesters in Jalna. Security in Kalyan has been increased in response to the bandh call, with essential services being exempt from the shutdown.
The violence in Jalna occurred when protesters reportedly hindered authorities from transferring a hunger-striking man demanding Maratha quota rights to a hospital. Numerous individuals, including 40 police officers, were injured, and over 15 buses were set on fire during the clashes.
Local Maratha Kranti Morcha activists have been urging support for the bandh among shopkeepers and service providers, although its impact has been limited so far. Harshwardhan Palande, a local leader of the Morcha, claimed that most shops in the eastern part of Kalyan were closed, but auto-rickshaws continued to operate to minimize inconvenience for
commuters.
In a symbolic protest, Maratha Kranti Morcha members crushed pumpkins with their feet at Shivaji Chowk in Kalyan to condemn the Jalna incident. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde responded by sending Jalna district superintendent of police Tushar Doshi on compulsory leave and transferring two DYSP-rank officers out of Jalna. ADGP (law and order) Sanjay Saxena will investigate the lathi-charge incident, and a judicial probe may be conducted if necessary. The bandh is part of the ongoing protests against the police’s handling of the Maratha quota demand, emphasizing the community’s determination to secure its rights.
In response to the recent lathicharge incident targeting activists advocating for Maratha community reservations in Maharashtra’s Jalna, the Maratha community has declared a bandh (shutdown). In anticipation of the bandh, stringent security measures have been put in place in Aurangabad.
