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Maratha outfit stage protest in Solapur without permission
Maratha factions hold rally in Solapur after Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati suspends his silent protest march
Even as Rajya Sabha member Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati has suspended his silent protest march following assurance from state government on steps being taken for reservation to the Maratha community; other factions have stepped up their pressure.
Scores of Maratha community members held a protest march in Solapur city on Sunday led by former Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Narendra Patil to press for the demand for reservation.
The protest march, which did not have police permission, began from the statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and culminated at the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, following the speeches by the leaders.
The protestors submitted a memorandum to the collector, Solapur district, listing out their demands.
According to Solapur police commissioner, Ankush Shinde, over 3,000 people participated in the protest march.
“We would register an offence against the organizers for violating the Covid-19 rules and regulations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Patil said that the power of Maratha power should not be under-estimated.
“Don’t ever under-estimate the power of Marathas. This Maratha community is known for fighting adversaries. It is not scared of police’s highhandedness and this was evident during today’s protest march in Solapur,” said Patil.
He warned that they will carry out the protest marches in other districts using guerrilla tactics and will barge into the collectorates if permission is not given for morchas,” Patil added.
He also warned that the state government should not test the patience of Maratha youth over the quota as they can enter into the assembly during the sessions.
A heavy police bandobast was deployed in Solapur city in view of the protest march. Barricading was done in the city in a bid to stop members of the outfits from going to the protest venue.
Earlier in the day Patil had resolved that even if the police have denied permission to the protest march and deployed heavy barricading around the city, the members of the Maratha outfits will take part in the march in large numbers.
“Before the protest march, I had toured all the tehsils in the district and met all the members of the Maratha community and various outfits and their response is huge. If police try to stop the members, there will be outbursts,” warned Patil.
