Traffic chaos in Maharashtra cities as Maratha protests turn violent

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 31

Clashes were reported in several parts of Maharashtra on Sunday as Maratha’s coordinated protests for reservation turned violent on Monday, police said.

Protests demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the Maratha community blocked major roads, including parts of the Western and Eastern Express Highway and the arterial Link Road in suburban Mumbai, police said. A few hundred people came out on the roads at major traffic junctions, forcing
traffic to a crawl, police said.

Traffic was restored by afternoon after the police lathi-charged protesters.

Clashes were reported between police and protesters at Aurangabad, Dhule, Nashik and Kolhapur, as the so-far peaceful protests turned violent. Police lathi charge led to stone pelting by protests. Several people have been detained across the state.

Office-bearers of the Maratha Kranti Morcha, which has been spearheading the protests, told reporters that the community would hold a huge protest in Mumbai on March 6.