Man commits suicide, mentions lack of reservation for Marathas

A 25-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in neighbouring Navi Mumbai today, with his purported suicide note mentioning his anguish over the Maratha community not getting reservation, police said.

It would be the eighth such suicide in the state in the last two weeks, where the deceased linked their decision to end life to the Maratha quota demand.

Arun Jagannath Bhadale, a resident of the Turbhe area, ended his life by hanging himself from the ceiling of the balcony of his house, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sudhakar Pathare told PTI.

"We recovered a suicide note in which he mentions failure to get loan and the Maratha reservation issue. We are verifying if the note was written by him," he added.

Bhadale, hailing from Bhor in Pune district, worked at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Pathare said.

According to another police official, his purported suicide note said he had applied to a private finance company for personal loan and deposited Rs 27,000 as demanded, but he was cheated by the company.

"On one hand we are not getting loan and on the other hand government is not giving us Marathas the reservation, there is no option left other than committing suicide," the note said.

The government should feel shame for failing to understand the community's sentiments, it added, according to the police official.

Senior police inspector Sanjay Nikam of the APMC police station said the police recovered the suicide note from Bhadale's bag which he had left at his brother's house in the Kopar Khairane area last night.

The revived agitation of the Maratha community for reservation in jobs and education has roiled Maharashtra in the last two weeks.