The incident occurred at around 12.30 pm at Borakhedi where members of the Maratha community had gathered in a stadium in Buldhana
Representational Pic/File
Key Highlights
- A 40-year-old man tried to jump from the gallery of a stadium
- A pro-Maratha reservation march was being organised in Buldhana
- The incident occurred at around 12.30 pm at Borakhedi
A 40-year-old man tried to jump from the gallery of a stadium in a bid to commit suicide when a pro-Maratha reservation march was being organised in eastern Maharashtra's Buldhana district on Wednesday, police said, according to the PTI.
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The protester, a resident of Kandari village in Buldhana district, around 450km from Mumbai, was detained, they said, reported the PTI.
The incident occurred at around 12.30 pm at Borakhedi where members of the Maratha community had gathered in a stadium to take out a march in support of their demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutes, an official told the PTI.
As community members were getting ready for the march, 40-year-old man tried to jump from the gallery of the stadium, he said.
Police personnel present on the spot prevented him from jumping off the gallery and took him into custody, said the official, according to the PTI.
The Maratha reservation issue has been reignited after quota activist Manoj Jarange launched an indefinite hunger strike on August 29 at Antarwali Sarati village in central Maharashtra's Jalna district in support of the affirmative action for his community members.
In the last few days, several protests in support of Maratha reservation have been staged in different parts of the state.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said his government is committed to giving reservations to the Maratha community by proving its social and educational backwardness, reported the PTI.
CM Shinde was speaking to reporters at Pune's Bhimashankar Temple, one of the 12 'jyotirlingas' in the country, as per the PTI.
"It is our clear stand to give reservations to the Maratha community. When Devendra Fadnavis was chief minister (between 2014 and 2019), we had given reservations to the Maratha community but it was set aside by the Supreme Court," CM Eknath Shinde said.
"It is our priority to prove that the Maratha community is backward on social and educational grounds. We are giving first preference to it and dedicated committees are working on it. Time should be given to the government," the chief minister said.
CM Shinde said he had assured Manoj Jharange Patil, who has been on hunger strike in Jalna district for the past several days, that the Maharashtra government was fully with the Maratha community.
(with PTI inputs)