Maratha quota stir: 141 cases registered

Mumbai: Maharashtra Police has so far registered 141 cases in connection with the violence during the Maratha quota agitations and arrested 168 persons, state Director General of Police Rajnish Seth said on Wednesday.

Speaking about the violence in Beed district, he said 20 cases have been registered including seven offences under section 307 (Attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code between October 24 and 31. A Rapid Action Force (RAF) company has been deployed in Beed district to avoid any untoward incident and Internet services in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (rural), Jalna, and Beed have been suspended, Seth told media persons at the state police headquarters in south Mumbai.

Public properties worth Rs 12 crore were damaged by miscreants across the state during demonstrations (over eight days), the DGP said. “Notices have been served to 146 accused persons under section 41 in the CrPC,” he said. Notably, houses of Nationalist Congress Party MLAs Prakash Solanke and Sandeep Kshirsagar were torched by protesters in Beed district over the last two days. The office of a legislator from the ruling BJP was vandalised by protesters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, police had said. The first floor of the municipal council building in Majalgaon town in Beed district was set on fire and stones were hurled at it by a group of quota agitators on Monday.

Seth said prohibitory orders have been imposed in Beed district under section 144 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code).