Maratha quota stir: 11 more arrested for Chakan violence

Eleven people have been arrested over the last fortnight in connection with the violence in July this year at the industrial town of Chakan near Pune during the Maratha quota agitation, police said on Wednesday.

The arrests were made by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Pimpri Chichwad police.

During the violence, 60 vehicles, including public transport buses had been ransacked and torched, while police personnel were also attacked.

Although Chakan was earlier under the jurisdiction of Pune rural police, it was attached to the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate after it was formed in August this year.

After the formation of the new commissionerate, various cases, including the ongoing probe into the July 30 Chakan violence, was also handed over to it.

"The Pune rural police had earlier arrested 30 miscreants in the case. After the new commissionerate was formed, the Pimpri Chinchwad police's SIT carried forward the probe. In the last 15 days, we have arrested 11 people, which took the total number of arrests to 41," said a senior police official from Pimpri Chichwad police.

All the offences committed by these accused are of serious nature as they caused damage to property, attacked police personnel and were involved in arson, he added.

"During the probe and scrutiny of CCTV images and video footages, these accused were found indulging in violence and hence arrested," he said.

Over 60 vehicles, including public transport buses, were vandalised and torched by protesters during the violence in Chakan, an industrial hub 40 kms from Pune. The rural police had booked over 4,000 people and said that the violence caused a loss of property to the tune of Rs 8 crore.

While the state government had said that it was working towards withdrawing cases against the agitators who took part in Maratha agitation, police said cases of serious nature like attack on police, arson and damage to property, cannot be withdrawn.