Mumbai:

Amid incidents of violence over the Maratha reservation issue in parts of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday called activist Manoj Jarange over the phone and assured a concrete decision on giving Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community during the state cabinet’s meeting to be held later in the day. Jarange has been on an indefinite hunger strike at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district since October 25 to demand reservation for the Maratha community.

After a “satisfactory” discussion with CM Shinde, Jarange started consuming water during his protest, a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

Maratha community members have been staging protests in different parts of the state seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. At some places, quota supporters vandalised and torched the residences of some politicians. A curfew has been imposed in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district after incidents of violence.

CM Shinde called up Jarange on Tuesday morning and enquired about his health, the CMO statement said.

CM Shinde assured Jarange that he would take a concrete decision regarding issuing Kunbi caste certificates to the Maratha community in the cabinet meeting to be held later in the day, it said.

Shinde also informed Jarange that the state government was prepared to file a curative petition in the Supreme Court over the Maratha reservation issue.

In May 2021, the Supreme Court struck down Maharashtra’s Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, which granted reservation to the Maratha community, for violating the 50 per cent quota limit.

The Maratha community, led by Jarange, has been demanding the issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas, enabling them to get inclusion in the OBC category for reservation. Kunbis (the community associated with agriculture) are grouped under the OBC category in Maharashtra.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Monday suspended its services from Pune to two districts of Marathwada after protestors demanding reservation for the Maratha community threw stones at some of the buses, an official said.

Bus services from Pune to Beed and Latur districts were disrupted during the day, while several buses going to other places via Beed were cancelled, Dnyaneshwar Ranavare, depot in-charge at Shivajinagar, said. Buses were vandalised and targeted by mobs at multiple locations, he added.

Twenty-five buses are operated to Beed from Pune and nine buses to Latur every day, he said. “The police have directed us not to operate buses to these districts. Services on the other routes are smooth,” Mr Ranavare added.

The protests for the Maratha reservation turned violent on Monday after a mob vandalised and set fire to a house of an NCP MLA and part of a municipal council building in Beed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)