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India Today | India 

Marathas belong to the Kunbi caste, which comes under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and are not demanding any separate reservation, quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil said during an exclusive interview with NDTV.

Mr Patil, face of the Maratha quota agitation, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since October 25. This triggered a fresh wave of protests and violence broke out in parts of the state on Monday.

However, Mr Patil said the protests are being held peacefully and he’s not aware who are indulging in violence.

The Maratha community has faced injustice for years and this time they will not relent until they get reservation, said the activist. “Marathas across the country support us. I am not afraid of dying. My aim is to get reservation for the Maratha community,” he added.

“We are Kunbis. We are already in the OBC category. Why do we need separate reservation? If one brother gets reservation, then why not another? It is our right,” said Mr Patil. “We, Kunbis, are farmers and if reservation is being given based on one’s occupation, then why aren’t we getting it,” he questioned.

Marathas will keep protesting until the community gets reservation as Kunbis, he asserted. “If law and order situation deteriorate, then it is the responsibility of the government,” added Mr Patil.

The Maharashtra government is in favour of Maratha quota, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said after an all-party meeting in Mumbai today. They also passed a resolution urging Mr Patil to call off his hunger strike.

Diamonds worth Rs 5.62 crore have been allegedly stolen from a gems company store in Mumbai over six months following which police have arrested three persons, including two employees of the firm, an official said on Wednesday.

Sanjay Shah, one of the directors of JB and Brothers Private Limited, which has a store at the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Bandra-Kurla Complex here, approached the police claiming diamonds worth Rs 5.62 crore were missing from their stock, the official from BKC police station said.

The complainant suspected that the firm’s employees, Prashant Shah and Vishal Shah, both from Kandivali, were stealing diamonds from their store since April, he said.

Nilesh Shah, a former employee of the firm, allegedly helped the duo in selling the stolen diamonds, the police said quoting the FIR.

The police have arrested the three accused and booked them under relevant Indian Penal Code sections, including 420 (cheating), the official said. An investigation was on into the case, the police added.