Manoj Jarange, Others Booked for Illegal Protests Seeking Maratha Quota Under OBC Category

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been booked in two cases after his supporters staged demonstrations without permission and blocked roads at two different locations in Beed district of Maharashtra, police said on Monday. In both instances, Jarange was not present at the spots but cases were registered against him because protesters took to the streets on his appeal, an official said.

About 80 people were booked on charges of unlawful assembly, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, wrongful restraint, and section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. The protests were held on Saturday at Jatnandur Phata in Shirur village and on Beed-Ahmed Nagar Road in Patoda in Beed district wherein slogans were raised against the state government and roads were blocked, the official said.

The demonstrations were staged without the necessary permission from authorities and in violation of prohibitory orders issued by the Beed district collector, he said.

”As the agitations were held on the appeal made by Jarange, his name is also included as an accused along with others,” the official said. Jarange has been demanding the implementation of a draft notification issued by the Maharashtra government last month for issuing certificates to blood relatives of eligible Kunbi Marathas. The Kunbi (agricultural community) falls under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Jarange has been demanding the issuance of Kunbi certificates to ”sage soyre” or blood relatives of Kunbi Marathas and a quota for the Maratha community under the OBC grouping. Jarange on Sunday announced that he would travel to Mumbai to press for his demands as he accused Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of blocking the implementation of the draft notification. Jarange withdrew his hunger strike on Monday after 17 days.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)