CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: The Jalna police have booked 350 people in connection with the violence at Antarwali Saraati village on Friday evening even as the situation remained tense in the area for the second day. Protestors demanding reservation for Marathas pelted stones on a police vehicle in the convoy of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who was on the way to the village, on Saturday. Pawar was unhurt.
On Saturday, protestors torched tyres and wooden logs on the highways in Jalna, Aurangabad, Beed and Osmanabad districts. In Jalna city, protestors resorted to heavy stone-pelting and set afire some vehicles, including a truck. Jalna superintendent of police Tushar Doshi was injured during the stone-pelting. Sixty-four policemen in Jalna alone have been injured in the violence till Saturday evening.
The police fired tear gas shells as well as several rounds of plastic bullets. As the situation continued to simmer, the state home department as well as the director general of police’s office on Saturday rushed in inspector general of police (establishment) KM Mallikarjuna Prasanna, Pune SRPF commandant Shailesh Balkawade and crime investigation department’s superintendent of police Pankaj Deshmukh.
Sources said that two more IPS officers are likely to be sent to Jalna.
In Osmanabad, a rally took a violent turn after the protestors pelted stones at the shops for not participating in the bandh called against the Jalna incident, said superintendent of police Atul Kulkarni.
Considering the number of buses targeted in the districts of Jalna, Beed and Aurangabad over two days, the services to several destinations were stopped on Saturday.
Besides Pawar, former CMs Uddhav Thackeray and Ashok Chavan, MP Sanjay Raut, Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje Bhosale and Udyanraje Bhosale, among others, reached Jalna on Saturday. They met many of the injured.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde has appealed for calm. State cooperation minister Dilip Walse Patil, who was home minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, on Saturday said the police should have handled the situation on Friday with maturity and patience.
Major violence broke out on Friday evening at the villages along the boundary of Jalna and Beed districts after the police moved in to clear a pandal at Antarwali Saraati village in Jalna where a hunger strike was on for four days now over reservation for Marathas. Many protestors were injured when the police ordered a lathicharge in response to heavy stone-pelting. Sixteen buses were also set ablaze at various places. Many police vehicles were damaged.
An FIR has been registered at Gondi police station against 350 people on the charges of attempt to murder, using criminal force to deter public servants from performing official duty, rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy in connection with the violence at Antarwali Saraati village.
Only 50 of those booked have been identified by the police.
Aurangabad range special inspector general of police Dnyaneshwar Chavan said, “In our range, six FIRs have been registered for the Friday evening violence. Of these, four have been registered in Jalna and two in Beed.”
Beed SP Nandkumar Thakur said FIRs were registered over torching of buses parked in Shahgad depot as well as blocking of highway on Friday and resorting to violence. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police too registered two FIRs after a bus was torched at Cidco bus stand and another one was damaged on late Friday.
A sarpanch from Phulambri in Aurangabad torched his own car in the middle of the highway.
For all the violence on Saturday, the Jalna police were in the process of registering five more FIRs including one each at Gondi and Badnapur police stations, two at taluka police station and one at Ghansawangi police stations.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the police were in the process of registering four-five FIRs against protestors that climbed Pundaliknagar water tank, those who blocked Jalna road at multiple places.
On Saturday, protestors torched tyres and wooden logs on the highways in Jalna, Aurangabad, Beed and Osmanabad districts. In Jalna city, protestors resorted to heavy stone-pelting and set afire some vehicles, including a truck. Jalna superintendent of police Tushar Doshi was injured during the stone-pelting. Sixty-four policemen in Jalna alone have been injured in the violence till Saturday evening.
The police fired tear gas shells as well as several rounds of plastic bullets. As the situation continued to simmer, the state home department as well as the director general of police’s office on Saturday rushed in inspector general of police (establishment) KM Mallikarjuna Prasanna, Pune SRPF commandant Shailesh Balkawade and crime investigation department’s superintendent of police Pankaj Deshmukh.
Sources said that two more IPS officers are likely to be sent to Jalna.
In Osmanabad, a rally took a violent turn after the protestors pelted stones at the shops for not participating in the bandh called against the Jalna incident, said superintendent of police Atul Kulkarni.
Considering the number of buses targeted in the districts of Jalna, Beed and Aurangabad over two days, the services to several destinations were stopped on Saturday.
Besides Pawar, former CMs Uddhav Thackeray and Ashok Chavan, MP Sanjay Raut, Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje Bhosale and Udyanraje Bhosale, among others, reached Jalna on Saturday. They met many of the injured.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde has appealed for calm. State cooperation minister Dilip Walse Patil, who was home minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, on Saturday said the police should have handled the situation on Friday with maturity and patience.
Major violence broke out on Friday evening at the villages along the boundary of Jalna and Beed districts after the police moved in to clear a pandal at Antarwali Saraati village in Jalna where a hunger strike was on for four days now over reservation for Marathas. Many protestors were injured when the police ordered a lathicharge in response to heavy stone-pelting. Sixteen buses were also set ablaze at various places. Many police vehicles were damaged.
An FIR has been registered at Gondi police station against 350 people on the charges of attempt to murder, using criminal force to deter public servants from performing official duty, rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy in connection with the violence at Antarwali Saraati village.
Only 50 of those booked have been identified by the police.
Aurangabad range special inspector general of police Dnyaneshwar Chavan said, “In our range, six FIRs have been registered for the Friday evening violence. Of these, four have been registered in Jalna and two in Beed.”
Beed SP Nandkumar Thakur said FIRs were registered over torching of buses parked in Shahgad depot as well as blocking of highway on Friday and resorting to violence. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police too registered two FIRs after a bus was torched at Cidco bus stand and another one was damaged on late Friday.
A sarpanch from Phulambri in Aurangabad torched his own car in the middle of the highway.
For all the violence on Saturday, the Jalna police were in the process of registering five more FIRs including one each at Gondi and Badnapur police stations, two at taluka police station and one at Ghansawangi police stations.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the police were in the process of registering four-five FIRs against protestors that climbed Pundaliknagar water tank, those who blocked Jalna road at multiple places.