Maratha quota stir bandh in Maha's Yavatmal peaceful, say cops

The bandh called by Maratha outfits demanding reservations in jobs and education for the community evoked a strong response in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district with markets remaining closed and public transport staying off the roads.

The district administration had, earlier, ordered schools and colleges to remain shut today in view of the bandh.

Attendance at government offices was also thin due to the ongoing strike by staffers demanding implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations among others, officials said.

Superintendent of Police M Rajkumar told PTI that protesters had blocked a road between Pusad and Mahagaon tehsils yesterday night but police was rushed in and traffic restored.

He said that fire engines and ambulances had been placed at key spots to thwart any untoward incident and added that the bandh passed off peacefully in the district.

Protesters here started their stir today after garlanding the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Garden Road and later paying homage to martyred Army Major Kaustubh Rane.

Major Rane and three soldiers were killed while foiling an infiltration bid in north Kashmir's Gurez sector early Tuesday morning.

The protesters also marched to the district headquarters in the afternoon and submitted a memorandum to collector Rajesh Deshmukh.

Among their demands, functionaries of the outfits said, were reservations for the community, hostels for its students and withdrawal of police cases against agitators.