Shinde initiates action against senior officers over lathi charge incident in Jalna

A group of activists led by Maratha Marcha coordinator Manoj Jarange Patil have been protesting since August 29 in Antarvali-Sarati village demanding reservations in education and government jobs for the Maratha community

Following the statewide uproar by the Maratha community over the lathi charge on protesters in Antarwali-Sarti village in Jalna on Friday, the state government has taken action against the senior police officers from the district.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde (File Photo)

The government has sent Jalna superintendent of police (SP) Tushar Doshi on compulsory leave, holding him responsible for police brutality on the protestors, while additional superintendent of police (ASP) Rahul Khade and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Mukund Aghav have been transferred out of the district, officials said.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, who is in Buldhana to attend the Shashan Apalya Dari, the outreach program of the state government, on Saturday, announced the action saying that they were even ready for a judiciary probe, as demanded by the opposition.

The Opposition parties in Maharashtra had blamed the Eknath Shinde led-alliance government and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the home department, for the police action.

Thackeray on Saturday demanded the Centre provide reservations to Marathas and OBCs in the special session of Parliament to be convened later this month. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said Saturday the lathi-charge action was done to divert attention from the INDIA bloc meeting.

Meanwhile, the state has deputed additional director general of police (ADGP) (law and order) Sanjay Saxena to conduct a high-level probe into the Friday incident. “He will visit Jalna on Monday and conduct the probe,” Shinde said.

A group of activists led by Maratha Marcha coordinator Manoj Jarange Patil have been protesting since August 29 in Antarvali-Sarati village demanding reservations in education and government jobs for the Maratha community.

Notably, the Maratha community were allocated quotas in the fields of education and government jobs as per the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act of 2018. However, in 2021, the Supreme Court struck down the order which grants reservations to the Maratha community for violating the 50% limit on reservations and the 102nd Amendment of the Constitution.

Shinde said that his government was committed to restoring the Maratha reservation.

“We are not going to rest our case until the Maratha reservation is restored. We have started the procedure to gain back the reservation to the community. We will give the reservation which will remain forever and the brainstorming meetings have been started. I do not want to divulge much of the details of it, but we are committed to it. The community will get their deserving reservation,” he said.

Shinde further hit out at the Opposition for targeting the government.

“Some people (Pawar) did nothing in their entire life, but now have been reaching out to the protesters.”

He added, “The reservation given by the then-chief minister Fadnavis-led government in 2018 was quashed by the Supreme Court (in 2021) when the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MHA) government (led by Uddhav Thackeray) was in power. Ashok Chavan was the head of the committee appointed for the steps to restore the reservation but what did they do?”

On Saturday afternoon, Pawar reached Jalna to meet the villagers who were injured in the police lathi charge.

Other ministers, who attended the function with CM Shinde took a further dig at Pawar.

“The big leaders (Pawar) should think to themselves why did people sloganeer against you? Why did they ask about your contribution to the Maratha welfare in 40 years? Our government gave the reservation in 2018, but the subsequent MVA government could not safeguard it,” said rural development minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan.

Meanwhile, the Maratha community continued its state-wide protest on Sunday to condemn the lathi charge in Jalna against the protesters.

In Mumbai, the community members protested at Marine Drive and Dadar, while rasta roko was held on Solapur-Pune national highway. A Bandh call was given in Nashik and other a few districts.

“We will continue our agitation until deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, resigns holding moral responsibility,” said Virendra Pawar, coordinator of Maratha Kranti Morcha.