Police resort to lathi-charge and fire tear gas at NH-4 as protestors resort to stone-pelting
The Maratha community's agitation for a quota among other things, which started largely in a peaceful manner with protestors holding dharna on various main roads of Pune district, turned violent towards the end when some of them created a ruckus at Pune district collectorate, while others pelted stones at police in the Chandani Chowk area.
Police had to fire tear gas to disperse the mob at Chandani Chowk to clear the Mumbai-Bangalore national highway 4. Additional Commissioner of Police (South region) told DNA, "The protesters had blocked the NH-4 near Chandani chowk area. After giving them some time for the dharna, when the police requested them to clear the road for traffic, instead of acquiescing, the protesters started pelting stones at the police."
Before the violence at Chandani Chowk, the agitators also created a ruckus at the district collectorate on Thursday afternoon. A large number of protestors, responding to the call given by Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM), gathered at the collectorate and held a dharna for the better part of the day.
However, as some MKM leaders left after meeting the district collector, the mob turned violent. The main gate of the collectorate was damaged and the protesters also targeted the cabin of the security guards before police forced them out of the premises.
MKM committee members claimed that the members of MKM were not involved in the violence. Rajendra Kondhare, one of the key coordinators of MKM said, "We had drafted a code of conduct for all agitators and had asked them not to resort to violence. The ruckus has taken place when the members of the morcha had left the venue. It is clear that the people involved in the violence were outsiders."
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