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Amid the ongoing protests in the state, several Maratha groups demanding reservation for the community in jobs and education have declared a day-long bandh in Maharashtra, barring Navi Mumbai and Thane, on Thursday, 9 August.
Fearing violence, authorities have ordered the closure of schools and colleges in some areas across the state.
Protesters on Thursday set ablaze two bicycles in Pune’s Kothrud area while protesting to demand for reservation for the Maratha community.
Protesters cover their eyes and mouth with black ribbons during protest demanding Maratha reservations on Thursday, 8 August.
(ANI)
Protests turn violent in Solapur as agitators pelted stones on shops, reported News18. Heavy police deployment seen in the area.
(News18)
Incidents of stone pelting have been reported from the Somwar Peth area of Pune, as per News18.
The protesters have also halted buses and other vehicles at several areas of Maharashtra on Thursday 9 August.
The state government has committed that it will take back cases filed against the protesters, but not serious ones that involve instances of arson and damage to public properties.
(News18)
Members of the Maratha community gathered outside the collector's office in Bandra during the day-long shut down and staged protests.
(News18)
Additional personnel have been deployed in Aurangabad, as the district witnessed violent protests during the last agitation.
The Indian Express reported quoting a senior police official that they have requested the Centre for additional forces which will help monitor the sensitive areas of the state. “These districts are the most sensitive and have witnessed sporadic violent protests since July 19. We have requested the Centre for additional forces, which would be deployed along with state forces in these sensitive areas.”
(The Indian Express)
Maharashtra Chief Secretary D K Jain reviewed the security measures ahead of the protests on Thursday, 9 August. In a meeting held in Mantralaya, Jain interacted with senior officials regarding the preparations made to avoid any untoward incident.
Jain asked the officials to ensure that suburban railway services run smoothly and that schools and other essential services are not affected during the bandh, a senior police official had told PTI.
(News18)
The protesters halted buses and other vehicles at several areas of Maharashtra on Thursday 9 August.
Agitators disrupted traffic in Latur, Jalna, Solapur and Buldhana districts as part of their statewide protests over the reservation demand.
(PTI)
With BMC not declaring a holiday, schools and colleges will remain open in Mumbai. Some private schools have, however, already declared holiday.
The wholesale vegetable market in Dadar and Agriculture Produce Market Committee in Navi Mumbai has been shut for the day as the supply of vegetables take a hit in Mumbai.
(PTI)
Internet services have been suspended in seven tehsils of Pune district — Shirur, Khed, Baramati, Junnar, Maval, Daund and Bhor, as a precautionary measure to avoid violence.
(ANI)
Majority of the commercial units in the Chakan industrial area have also decided to remain closed on Thursday, 9 August.
"There are over 1,000 companies in the Chakan MIDC area and majority of them have decided keep their plants and firms shut," Chakan police station's senior inspector Santosh Girigosavi said.
(Firstpost)
The Maharashtra government has deployed six companies of Rapid Action Force, one company each of Central Industrial Security Force and State Reserve Police Force at sensitive locations, the official said.
The All India Kisan Sabha has organised a protest from Churchgate Railway Station to Hutatma Chowk to protest against BJP government’s anti-labour, Dalit and tribal policies.
2200 policemen, 900 home guards , 3 SRPF coy, 1 RAF company, 20 striking platoons have been deployed at Pune reported ANI.
(Firstpost)
Schools and colleges as well as plants of several companies will remain shut in Maharashtra's Pune district in view of the bandh called by the Maratha organisations over their reservation demand.
Collector Naval Kishore Ram in an order issued an order on Wednesday, 8 August stating that there will be road blockades and processions on Thursday and the possibility of stone-pelting on vehicles and arson cannot be ruled out.
(PTI)
Confirming Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ request for time till November to resolve the reservation issue, Senior Minister Chandrakant Patil, on the eve of the bandh said that "nothing can be done" on the Maratha groups’ demands till 15 November.
(PTI)
Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella body of Maratha groups, stated that the 'bandh' would be observed across Maharashtra, but barring Navi Mumbai, on Thursday, 9 August.
"It will be a state-wide bandh, excluding Navi Mumbai. All the essential services, schools and colleges have been excluded from the bandh," Amol Jadhavrao, a leader of Sakal Maratha Samaj told reporters.
"Due to some sensitive issues, we have decided not to observe bandh in Navi Mumbai," he said.
He added that the protests would be “peaceful” and would take place between 8 am and 6 pm.
(PTI)
Maharashtra is bracing for a day- long shutdown on Thursday, 9 August, called by an umbrella organisation of pro-quota Maratha groups, with the authorities ordering closure of schools and colleges in some areas fearing violence.
The 'bandh' is being organised despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' assurances that his government was working on providing reservation to the Marathas in government jobs and educational institutions, one that is legally sustainable.
Fadnavis had sought time till November to take steps with regard to the quota.
Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 percent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 percent reservation.
The community members had earlier taken out silent marches across the state to highlight their demands, prominent among them being that of reservation.
The agitation, however, turned violent after a 27-year- old protester jumped to his death in Godavari river near Aurangabad on 23 July.
A number of places, especially Koparkhairane and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai, had witnessed violence during the Maratha quota stir late last month.
Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters at Koparkhairane and Kalamboli. A protester, injured in the violence in Navi Mumbai, had succumbed to his injuries.
(PTI)
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