Maratha reservation protest: Internet services suspended in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Maratha reservation protest: Internet services have been suspended in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district – both rural and urban areas – of Maharastra on Thursday, November 2 in connection with the Maratha reservation protest. The law and order situation, caused by the Maratha reservation protests, has worsened over the last few hours, prompting the authorities to suspend the Internet services in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Thursday.

On Wednesday, an official had informed that a decision to suspend internet – both mobile and broadband services – in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district has been taken to stop the spread of rumours amid the ongoing Maratha quota agitation.

INTERNET SUSPENSION DETAILS

The internet services provided through dongles, broadband, wireline internet, fiber internet will be suspended from 6 pm on Wednesday until 6 pm on Friday, the official said on Wednesday.

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The order to suspend the internet, the official said, was applicable to the talukas of Gangapur, Vaijapur, Khultabad, Phulambri, Sillod, Kannad, Paithan, Soegaon and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar except for the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. 

However, the services have been cut off in both rural and urban areas to maintain the law and order.

The decision to suspend the internet services in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district was taken after incidents of arson and rioting. Protests and arson were also reported in other areas of Maharashtra on Wednesday.

Members of Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM), lawyers and farmers belonging to the Maratha community protested in Latur city, claiming that Marathas are Kunbis as per the records dating back to the pre-Independence period and the Nizam era, which makes them eligible to get the reservation under the OBC category.

Meanwhile, as the Maratha reservation agitation gained momentum across the state, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured after an all-party meeting that everyone agreed on providing reservation to Marathas.

“At the all-party meeting, everyone agreed that the Maratha community should get reservation. It was decided the reservation should be within the framework of the law and without doing injustice to other communities,” Eknath Shinde said.