Maratha quota violence: BJP's Bawankule refutes Oppn allegations, seeks high level inquiry

Chandrashekhar Bawankule. File Pic

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule refuted allegations by opposition parties that the police action on Maratha quota protestors in Jalna on Friday was ordered by the authorities or that it was a diversionary tactic, reported the PTI.

On Friday, the police had resorted to baton charge and reportedly lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob in Antarwali Sarathi on Dhule-Solapur road that allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on hunger strike as part of the quota stir to the hospital, according to the PTI.

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Several persons, including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 ST buses were allegedly set ablaze. Some 360 persons have been booked in connection with the violence, as per the PTI.

Speaking to reporters in Akola, Maharashtra on Sunday as part of the BJP's 'Jan Samwad Yatra', Bawankule sought a high-level inquiry into the Jalna violence to clear the air.

"The state government can never order lathi charge on agitators so a high level inquiry must be held into the incident," Bawankule said, according to the PTI.

The news agency reported, Bawankule attacked Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on the Maratha quota issue.

The reservation granted to the community in jobs and education was "lost" during the chief ministership of Uddhav Thackeray, while Sharad Pawar had never spoken on the issue in the past 40 years, Bawankule claimed, as per the PTI.

Speaking to reporters after meeting injured persons in hospital and those on hunger strike at the site of police action in Jalna on Saturday, Pawar had claimed agitators told him "a call from the higher-ups" changed the attitude of the police and action was taken despite the stir being peaceful, the news agency reported on Sunday.

"The protestors told me the agitation was peaceful and discussions were on with the local administration. The protestors were raising slogans against home minister (and deputy chief minister) Devendra Fadnavis. They told me the police got a call from higher-ups and then their attitude changed," Sharad Pawar had told reporters.

"Some people say the incident was aimed at diverting attention from the (I-N-D-I-A) alliance meet," the NCP chief had further said.

On Saturday, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole too had alleged the police baton-charged the protestors in Jalna on the orders of the government to divert attention from the I-N-D-I-A bloc meeting which took place on the same day in Mumbai.

(with PTI inputs)