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Journalism of Courage
The agitation in support of activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is on an indefinite hunger strike in demand of the Maratha reservation, continues in Pune, with a bandh being observed in Vadgaon Budruk on Sinhagad Road. All shops have been shut until evening while similar agitations continue in other parts of the city.
An agitation has been held at Pasalkar Chowk below the Bangalore-Mumbai bypass bridge. A candlelight march will be organised at Warje-Malwadi on Friday in support of the demand for the Maratha reservation. The Maratha community has appealed to all, irrespective of community, to participate in the agitation.
Similar kinds of protests have so far been held on Karve Road, Katraj, Kondhwa and Pune University junction. The organisation of Marathi stage and theatre artists on Wednesday staged an agitation outside Balgandharva Rang mandir in demand of reservation for the Maratha community. They claimed that the Maratha community suffered due to the lack of reservations, and the demand for reservations for the last 40 years has been ignored.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, after holding an all-party meeting on the ongoing protest across the state, had assured that the state government was taking steps to ensure reservation for the Maratha community while urging Jarange-Patil to call off his hunger strike and appealed to the citizens not to to be violent.
However, he declared that he would continue with the hunger strike till the demand was met and asked supporters to hold peaceful agitations at the local level through chain fasting and banning entry of politicians in their villages.
