“Violent Unrest Erupts as Maratha Reservation Demonstrators Target NCP Office in Beed City”
In a shocking turn of events, the ongoing protest over the Maratha reservation issue took a violent and destructive turn in Beed city, Maharashtra. Pro-Maratha reservation demonstrators allegedly torched the office of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Beed city on Monday evening, as captured in a video shared by news agency ANI, and other x users The NCP office was engulfed in flames and billows of smoke, leaving a scene of chaos and destruction.
The protesters didn’t stop at the political office; they also targeted residences, setting ablaze the homes of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar and the state’s former minister, Jay Kshirsagar. The violence escalated earlier in the day when demonstrators vandalized and set on fire the residence of NCP MLA Prakash Solanke in Beed district. Fortunately, Solanke and his family were unharmed, but they suffered significant property damage due to the fire.
This disturbing incident occurred amidst an indefinite fast undertaken by activist Manoj Jarange, who began his hunger strike on October 25 in Antarwali Sarati village, Jalna district, demanding attention to the Maratha reservation cause. This marked the second phase of the agitation, following Jarange’s previous hunger strike from August 29 to September 14, which was temporarily halted after government assurances to address the quota demand.
In response to the escalating violence, Beed District Collector Dipa Mudhol Munde issued prohibitory orders under Section 144(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in a 5-kilometer radius around the District headquarters and all taluka Headquarters in the district. The situation remains tense as authorities work to restore order and address the concerns of the protesters.
