Maratha agitation: 500 booked in Pune for blocking national highway, burning tyres

Minutes later, the protesters blocked Bengaluru-bound traffic on the opposite carriageway, leading to a major traffic jam in the area. Queues as long as three to four kilometres were seen on both sides. Around 3 pm, the protesters allowed the vehicles to move and the traffic could be cleared only around 3.30 pm.

An FIR in this regard was registered at the Sinhagad Road police station late on Tuesday, an officer said. The police have invoked Indian Penal Code sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others).

Among the around 500 people booked, the police have identified 10 as Ravi Padwal, Prashant Pawar, Nikhil Panasare, Umesh Mahadik, Santosh Sathe, Nikhil Dhumal, Samir Ghate, Abhishek Bharam, Viraj Sole and Yogesh Daswadkar. No arrests have been made in the case.

On Tuesday, the police said they had beefed up the security on the residential and official premises of key political leaders in the city and also stepped up patrolling against the backdrop of the incidents of arson and vandalism reported from the Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts.

The quota agitation turned violent in various parts of the Marathwada region on Monday with arsonists targeting two NCP MLAs’ houses and a municipal building in Beed. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, protesters vandalised a BJP MLA’s office and damaged several state-owned buses as road blockades were held in various parts of the region.