The state of Maharashtra has been hit by protests by the Maratha community, which constitutes more than a third of the city's population, in the last few days. The protests reached maximum city Mumbai on July 25. Led by Maratha Kranti Morcha and other groups, these demonstrations have been going on for a while now and the protesters have been observing silent protests so far. But the attacks have taken a violent turn, and they have been attacking buses and stopping local trains across the city during the bandh this time.

What is the agenda of the protesters? What is it that they want? The social media is also abuzz with discussions about the protests. Here we list down the reasons behind the protest and the major demands of the Maratha community.

Why Are the Protests Happening?

The ongoing Maratha unrest started in 2016 after a group of men from the Dalit community allegedly raped and killed a teenage girl in Kopardi in Ahmednagar. Following this incident, the Marathas started a silent protest march calling for amendment of the Prevention of Atrocities on Dalits Act, which the Dalit community has been allegedly misusing, according to the protesters, by taking undue advantage of its provisions.

Later again in August 2017, the Marathas carried out their 58th rally which was attended by lakhs of people. The community has a population of over 30 percent in the state of Maharashtra.

Several Maratha outfits, such as the Maratha Kranti Morcha, Maratha Kranti Samaj and Sakal Maratha Samaj are leading the agitation. Some other smaller Maratha groups too have joined them.

The protests turned violent recently when Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cancelled his visit to a temple in Pandharpur following threats from Maratha outfits.

The agitation intensified when on July 23 a 27-year old protestor, Kakasaheb Shinde, committed suicide by jumping into the Godavari River. Again, on July 24 a youth identified as Jayant Sonawane tried to commit suicide by jumping into a stream in Maharashtra’s Kannad tehsil. He was rescued and is undergoing treatment.

Maharashtra Bandh

On July 24, except for Satara, Solapur, Pune, and Mumbai, a bandh was called  in the the remaining districts of Maharashtra.

On July 25 the protests continued and the bandh observed across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.

What Are They Demanding?

Here is a list of five major demands put forth by the community, for which they have been organising protests:

  1. Reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education.

  2. A death sentence for the accused in the Kopardi rape case.

  3. Amendments in the Prevention of Atrocities on Dalits Act 1989 to avoid its misue.

  4. An apology from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for wrongly alleging that members from the community were planning violence at Pandharpur town in Solapur district.

  5. Implementation of the recommendations of National Commission on Farmers chaired by Dr. M. S. Swaminathan.

The protests has now been called off. Apart from setting vehicles on fire, roads were blocked, local train services were disrupted and incidents of stone-pelting were also reported from some parts in the state. Just a few months back in March 2018, the farmers from across the state also staged a three-day-long silent protest march from Nashik to Mumbai.  They withdrew their protest after the government agreed to most of their demands.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 25, 2018 04:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).