Mumbai: Police fire in the air as violence in agitation by Maratha groups spirals

The agitators, taking to the street under the banner of Maratha Kranti Morcha, forced a bandh on Mumbai and disrupted life in Navi Mumbai.

They blocked the Mumbai-Pune highway at its entry-exit point in Kalamboli, threw stones and set a police van on fire, resulting in lathi-charge and firing in the air by police.

While shops in most areas remained shut from the morning, later in the day, there were major traffic snarls as protesters blocked busy roads and highways at several spots and reportedly threw stones at BEST buses.

Several vehicles were vandalised by the agitators in Navi Mumbai.

Several private buses are off the road due to the stir.

However, the protesters said they won't affect the train services. Schools and colleges also remained open.

The Marathas have been demanding a reservation for some time now.

The protest turned violent on Tuesday as agitators torched police vehicles and ambulances in Aurangabad.

Fueled by the loss of an agitator and the call for reservation, several protests had resorted to arson, setting alight tyres and destroying government properties in several parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Kakasaheb Shinde. He jumped off a bridge during the protest.
One of the protesters told NDTV if their demands are not fulfilled, the vote bank of the ruling party (Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena coalition) will be affected.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has urged protesters to remain calm.
Fadnavis said his government is accessing the options, pertaining to the community's demands.