Security Increased Outside Houses Of Ministers Amid Maratha Quota Protests

A day after pro-Maratha quota protesters targeted the homes or offices of some politicians in parts of the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, the police on Tuesday stepped up security at the Mantralaya, the residences of the chief minister, ministers and other politicians as well as the offices of political parties here and elsewhere in the state, officials said.

On Monday, angry protesters torched, and vandalised the houses or offices of three MLAs – two of the NCP and one of the BJP – targeted a municipal council building. Most of the violent incidents and arson took place in the Beed district. A group of people also set ablaze a panchayat samiti office at Ghansawangi in Jalna on Monday night.

Pro-Maratha quota protesters on Tuesday blocked the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway in Pune city and burnt tyres to press for the reservation demand.

The authorities imposed a curfew in parts of Beed district on Monday evening and also in Dharashiv district.

“In view of the incidents of violence at a few places in the state, the Mumbai police have put in place heavy deployment of its personnel outside the Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, as a cabinet meeting was scheduled during the day,” an official said.

Police personnel were also deployed outside all the important locations in south Mumbai, he said, adding that the department was on alert mode.

Heavy security has been put in place outside the personal residence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at Louis Wadi in Thane, police officials said.

The security outside the official residences of the chief minister, deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, ministers Chandrakant Patil, Deepak Kesarkar, Dada Bhuse and other leaders including Ambadas Danve and Ashok Chavan, in Mumbai has also been tightened, they said.

In other parts of the state as well, security has been stepped up outside the residences of politicians, they added.

“There is heavy deployment of police outside the offices of political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena, the Ajit Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party in south Mumbai,” an official said.