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Mumbai Police lodged two FIRs at Marine Drive and Dongri stations against participants of the Manoj Jarange-led Maratha quota protest for assembling illegally.
Mumbai: Maratha community members gather in support of Manoj Jarange (Photo: PTI)
The Mumbai Police on Wednesday registered two First Information Reports (FIRs) against those joining the Manoj Jarange-led quota protest in the city.
According to the details, the cases were registered with the Marine Drive Police and the Dongri Police Stations on charges of gathering illegally at a place.
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This comes hours after Jarange, on Tuesday, ended his hunger strike for the Maratha reservation, as the state government accepted most of his demands.
He had begun the hunger strike on August 29, with protesters from across Maharashtra arriving to express solidarity with him.
They were seen thronging main junctions in south Mumbai, causing traffic snarls during the morning peak hours. Many of them went inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) complex, even sleeping on platforms by spreading mats.
To handle the situation, the Mumbai Police had deployed more than 1,500 personnel at the Azad Maidan along with one company each of the CRPF, CISF and RAF, along with SRPF, Riot Control Police and Maharashtra Security Force.
The police had initially permitted a one-day protest on August 29, allowing only 5,000 protesters for the agitation at Azad Maidan. However, as the agitation began, over 60,000 persons gathered in the city in 8,000 vehicles, which blocked all roads leading to the protest site.
Later, the permission for the protest was extended.
Traffic congestion was witnessed in South Mumbai, which led to route diversions.
There were also instances where protesters blocked the traffic and were adamant that they would move aside only if Jarange instructed them, even as senior officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police Satya Narayan Choudhary, Additional CP Abhinav Deshmukh and DCP Pravin Mundhe, were seen at the spot.
On Monday, the Bombay High Court noted the city was “literally paralysed” due to the Maratha agitation, which violated all conditions, and gave an opportunity to Jarange and protesters to ensure all streets were vacated and cleaned up by Tuesday noon.
On Tuesday, the High Court directed Jarange and his supporters to vacate Azad Maidan by 3 pm or face action.
The court also directed the government and police to take steps in accordance with the law against Jarange and his supporters for violating the protest conditions.
Subsequently, the Mumbai Police denied permission to extend the protest and asked Jarange and his core team to vacate the Azad Maidan at the earliest.
ALSO READ | ‘Solution Found…’: CM Fadnavis On Manoj Jarange Ending Maratha Quota Stir
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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