Maratha quota stir: Curfew lifted in Beed; 99 people held so far for violence

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: The Beed administration on Wednesday morning lifted curfew imposed in parts of the district after violence during the Maratha quota agitation on Monday, officials said.

Prohibition orders will continue in the district, located in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, and Internet services are still shut to maintain law and order, they said.

There is no relaxation in curfew in Dharashiv district as of now, the officials said.

The Beed police have registered more than 30 offences and arrested 99 people so far in connection with the violence, they said.

After violence in Beed on Monday, curfew was enforced in a periphery of 5 kilometres from the collector office, head offices of talukas along with all national highways passing through the district.

"Curfew in Beed district has been revoked by the district administration at 6 am on Wednesday. Prohibitory orders still exist in the district," an official said.

"Internet services are still shut in Beed," Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde told reporters.

Curfew is still on in Dharashiv district and a decision to revoke it will be taken after a review by the administration, an official from Dharashiv said.

On Tuesday, prohibitory orders were also imposed in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district by Collector Aastik Kumar Pandey to maintain law and order.

Nanded Collector Abhijeet Raut had also imposed prohibitory orders on Tuesday on national highways and other roads so as to keep the transport movement smooth, another official said.

Maharashtra's Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Saxena visited Beed district on Tuesday to take stock of the situation after large scale violence there during the Maratha quota agitation.

The Beed police have registered more than 30 offences and arrested 99 people so far in connection with the violence. The situation is currently under control, an official said.

ADG Saxena has been reviewing the situation in Beed. He will also submit a report about the situation to the government, the official said.

The residence of Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar group) MLA Prakash Solanke at Majalgaon town in Beed was set on fire and stones were hurled at it by a group of quota agitators on Monday morning.

The group also set ablaze a car parked at the residence after an audio clip of the MLA, in which he purportedly spoke about the Maratha quota agitation and made a veiled comment on quota activist Manoj Jarange who is on an indefinite fast, went viral.

Later, the protesters set ablaze the first floor of the Majalgaon Municipal Council building.

Another group of protesters barged into the residential premises and office of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed city and set them on fire on Monday evening.

The residence of former Maharashtra minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar in the city was also torched.

Police fired tear gas shells to disperse a mob that had gathered outside the residence of NCP leader Amarsingh Pandit.