Maratha Quota Row: Cases against protesters dropped, CM urges Manoj Jarange to end hunger strike | Top updates

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Lok Sabha elections. Maratha outfits also called for a bandh on Monday in protest against the recent lathi charge by the police in Jalna district against protesters demanding reservation in Maharashtra.

The call for a bandh (shutdown) has received widespread support from various political parties. Suhas Desai, the head of the city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), has voiced his support for the Bandh.

Similarly, Pradeep Shinde, the city president of the Shiv Sena (UBT), has also backed the move. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday night held a meeting with a group of protesters from Jalna in Mumbai, and later said that "there was a positive discussion." 1) Shinde has announced the withdrawal of police cases filed against pro-Maratha reservation protesters in Jalna district, the epicenter of the latest round of stirs on the issue, and urged quota activist Manoj Jarange to end his indefinite fast, PTI reported.

2) The chief minister also announced the suspension of three police officials involved in a lathi-charge on quota agitators in central Maharashtra's Jalna district in the first week of September. 3) Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been on hunger strike for the last 13 days demanding Kunbi status, which effectively means OBC quota, for all Marathas.

4) The Shinde government after several rounds of negotiations between Jarange Patil and the government-appointed representatives last week issued a government resolution offering certificates to those Marathas in Marathwada who have records from the Nizam era. 5) However, Jarange Patil has rejected the state government resolution, saying he will not break his fast unto death until all Marathas are given Kunbi