Maha dy speaker Narhari Sitaram jumps from building, saved by safety net

Narhari Sitaram Zirwal's drastic action came amidst ongoing protests by the Dhangar community in Maharashtra, who are demanding Scheduled Tribe reservations

In a startling incident, the deputy speaker of Maharashtra Assembly Narhari Sitaram Zirwal on Friday jumped from the third floor of the Mantralaya building. However, he was caught on the safety net and was saved by security officials. Zirwal’s extreme move followed the ongoing protest against the ST (Scheduled Tribe) reservation demanded by the Dhangar community. 

Zirwal and the others were protesting against the inclusion of the Dhangar community in the quota for tribals. He remained unharmed in the incident, officials said. Zirwal is an MLA of Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party faction. Amid the protests, several MLAs were spotted sitting along the corridors of Mantralaya.

The ruling Mahayuti government has been delaying a decision on this issue. In Maharashtra, Dhangars are a part of the shepherd community, which falls within the larger Other Backward Classes category. They hail from western Maharashtra and Marathwada region and have been demanding inclusion in the ST category.

There is another community with a similar name, called Dhangads, which has been given the ST status. The agitating Dhangars claim that both communities are the same and are subsequently demanding a similar status. 

Amid the issue, Yashwant Sena, the outfit demanding the ST status for Dhangars, has warned that they will not extend any support to the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The outfit had supported Shinde during the Lok Sabha elections.

According to the outfit chief Madhav Bhau Gade, there are about 300,000 Dhangar voters in Thane district. Maharashtra’s current Assembly term is scheduled to end on 26 November. The issue could be a challenge for the Shinde-led government, which is seeking to retain power in the polls.