Suicides over Maratha stir continue

Mumbai: Violent protests over grant of reservation to the Maratha community continued in the Marathwada region of the state. Abhijit Deshmukh, 35, a M.Sc. pass, committed suicide by hanging from a tree even as eight other protesters from Ausa, Latur, also tried to immolate themselves. So far, six protesters have taken their lives in the past eight days of the agitation.

Mr Deshmukh was a resident of Veeda village of Kej tehsil, Beed district. He hung himself to death from a tree near his house, said the police. According to Beed superintendent of police G. Sridhar, Mr Deshmukh took his own life over the Maratha quota cause. “We found a suicide note in which he mentioned that he was taking the extreme step in support of the Maratha reservation demand,” said Mr Sridhar. 

Mr Deshmukh’s was the sixth such death in the agitation. Also on Tuesday, eight protesters from Ausa tehsil, Latur district, poured kerosene and tried to immolate themselves.  However, the police intervened in the nick of time and rescued all of them.  In another incident, Maratha protesters burned down an effigy of senior leader Narayan Rane for meeting chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on behalf of the Maratha community.