Maratha quota: 49 arrested in Beed, curfew in Dharashiv

Police have arrested 49 people in connection with the violence in Maharashtra's Beed district during the ongoing agitation for Maratha reservation, an official said on Tuesday.

A curfew was imposed in parts of Beed district on Monday evening after a series of incidents of violence and arson targeting properties of politicians.

The situation is currently under control, Beed Superintendent of Police Nandkumar Thakur told PTI.

"Offences for rioting and putting lives in danger have been lodged in connection with the incidents. So far, 49 agitators have been arrested. There was no untoward incident at night, and the situation is under control," he said.

Additional police force has been deployed in the district to maintain law and order, the official said.

As per the order issued by Beed Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde, the curfew has been enforced in a periphery of 5 kilometres from the collector office, head offices of talukas along with all national highways passing through the district, another official said.

Meanwhile, a curfew has been imposed in Dharashiv district after incidents of violence during the ongoing agitation for Maratha reservation, according to the local administration.

The assembly of more than five people is not allowed during the curfew period, as per an order issued on Monday night by district collector Sachin Ombase.

The curfew is imposed under Section 144 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the district and will continue till further orders, an official release said.

The order will be applicable to schools, colleges and shops in the district, it said.

However, shops selling medicines and milk, and government offices, banks, public transport services, hospitals and media have been exempted.

On Monday morning, the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar group) MLA Prakash Solanke at Majalgaon town in Beed district was set on fire and stones were hurled at it by a group of quota agitators, police earlier said.

The group also set ablaze a car parked at the residence of Solanke after an audio clip of the MLA, in which he purportedly spoke about the Maratha quota agitation and made a veiled comment on the fasting quota activist Manoj Jarange, went viral.

After the arson at the legislator's home, a group of Maratha reservation activists dispersed from there and later set ablaze the first floor of the Majalgaon Municipal Council building and vandalised it.

A group of Maratha quota activists barged into the residential premises and office of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed city and set them on fire on Monday evening.

In another incident, the residence of former state minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar was torched and pelted with stones in Beed city by protesters.

A mob of Maratha agitators had also gathered outside the residence of NCP (Ajit pawar faction) leader Amarsingh Pandit and police fired tear-gas shells to disperse them.

The violence and arson took place at a time when Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange is continuing his indefinite hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district since October 25 in support of the reservation demand.

Maratha community members have been staging protests in different parts of the state seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category.