OBC Activist's Car Set Ablaze Amid Quota Row in Jalna, Maharashtra
Navnath Waghmare’s vehicle was torched; police probe suspects and examine CCTV footage.
An unidentified individual set fire to the car of OBC activist Navnath Waghmare in Jalna’s Neelam Nagar area late Sunday night, escalating tensions in Maharashtra’s ongoing reservation dispute, police reported. CCTV footage captured a person pouring an inflammable liquid on the parked vehicle around 10 p.m. and igniting it. Local residents intervened, extinguishing the flames and limiting damage to the car’s upper portion.
Waghmare, a prominent opponent of Maratha community inclusion in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota, alleged that supporters of Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange, from Antarwali Sarati village, were behind the attack. He lodged a complaint at the Kadim Jalna police station, prompting authorities to register a case against an unidentified person and analyse CCTV footage for leads. “My car was deliberately set on fire. I will not be intimidated,” Waghmare told media, questioning what would happen if OBC activists targeted Jarange’s car.
Jalna has become a flashpoint in the reservation conflict involving Maratha, OBC, Dhangar, and Banjara communities. OBC activists, including Waghmare, oppose the state’s recent resolution to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas in Marathwada, which would grant them OBC benefits, arguing it reduces opportunities for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and existing OBCs. Last week, Banjara community members protested for Scheduled Tribe status, while Dhangar activist Dipak Borhade continued a six-day hunger strike in Jalna for similar demands.
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The unrest follows recent violence, including an attempted attack on advocate Gunratan Sadavarte’s car on Sunday. Sadavarte, a vocal critic of Maratha reservations, was visiting to support Borhade. The state’s decision to implement the Hyderabad Gazette for Maratha quotas has intensified clashes, with ongoing investigations aiming to address the rising community tensions.
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