Bandh successful, say Maratha leaders as parts of city stay shut

Prakash Balwadkar, one of the organisers, said that though the MKM leadership had decided not to call a bandh in Pune, owing to the upcoming Ganesh festival, representatives from 10 villages (former) — now part of the city — met and decided to call the bandh to express solidarity with the Maratha quota agitation, being spearheaded by Manoj Jarange Patil in Jalna.

Most of the schools and colleges located in these areas of the city also remained shut. (Express photo Pavan Khengre)

“We feel that it was important to stage a token hunger strike for a day to express our full support to the ongoing agitation, protest against the police action on peaceful agitators in Jalna… and press our demands. We have taken utmost care not to cause inconvenience to the people,” said Balwadkar.

Another organiser Vijay Murkute said that though Patil withdrew his indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, after CM Eknath Shinde visited the protest site in Antarwali Sarati village, the overall agitation will continue till their demands are met.

“Community leaders from across political parties have come together, keeping aside all their differences, for the Maratha community. The bandh was successful in all the areas, where it had been called” said Murkute.

Members of the Maratha community have been demanding that they be given the ‘Kunbi’ caste certificate without being asked to produce a documentary trail; action be taken against police personnel who lathicharged Maratha quota protesters in Jalna’s Ambad tehsil, leading to an outrage across the state; funds and facilities at SARTHI organisation be increased; caste-based census be undertaken; and hostels are established for students from the community coming to Pune for education.