‘One Maratha is leaving, so that others can fight’
Father of two, preparing for MPSC exams, jumps in front of train, leaves chilling message on Facebook…
Yet another life has been snuffed out by the Maratha agitation. This time it was a 35-year-old father of two who was preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission exams.
Hours before Pramod Jaisinh Hore allegedly jumped in front of a moving train in Aurangabad late Sunday night, he had put a farewell post on Facebook and shared a message on WhatsApp, saying "one Maratha is leaving", others should fight.
His Facebook post, in Marathi, read: "Chala aajek Maratha jaatoy, pan kahitari Maratha arakshanasathi kara, jaijijau-aapla Pramod Patil (today one Maratha is leaving... But do something for the Maratha reservation)."
Sensing something amiss, friends begged him not to end his life. "Bhau ase naka karu (brother, don't do this)," said one friend. "What are you doing," wrote another friend. Many responded with alarm.
But he was not deterred, it was a sacrifice that Pramod felt he had to make. On learning of his suicide, a large number of people gathered outside his house. His family members said they would not take away his body until the state government took a final decision on the demand for reservations for Marathas.
Pramod used to run a shop in Mukundwadi and his wife was working as 'gram sevika' (a village-level functionary), the police said.
Three protesters have died in the past week during the agitation by Maratha which is seeking 16 per cent quota in government jobs and education. The community had earlier taken out marches across the state. Their latest protest escalated and took a violent turn after a protester jumped into the river in Aurangabad and died.