Maratha quota stir: Cop dead, two attempt suicide

A day after Kakasaheb Shinde, a 28-year old Maratha youth committed suicide by jumping into Godavari river as part of the protest, the agitation for the Maratha reservation took violent turn in Aurangabad in Marathwada (central Maharashtra) on Tuesday in which a police constable died and another sustained injuries.

A day after Kakasaheb Shinde, a 28-year old Maratha youth committed suicide by jumping into Godavari river as part of the protest, the agitation for the Maratha reservation took violent turn in Aurangabad in Marathwada (central Maharashtra) on Tuesday in which a police constable died and another sustained injuries. Several vehicles including those of the police, fire brigade and TV channel vans were torched in Aurangabad, while in some parts of Marathwada the protesters pelted stones to damage the state transport buses.

Maratha community outfits have announced a shutdown in Mumbai, Thane and adjoining areas on Wednesday after a mix response to its state-wide bandh on Tuesday.

The community has been protesting for their various demands including reservation in government jobs and education, review of the SC/ST Act, construction of Shivaji statue in Arabian sea, freeships to students for professional courses.

In Aurangabad, the protesters turned violent during the funeral of Shinde. The mob set state transport buses on fire and also heckled local Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire and Congress MLA Subhash Jhambad, who had come to attend the funeral.

According to police, constable Shyam Padgaonkar, 47, a police constable, died while manning the situation and another constable sustained injuries in reported stone pelting.