Youth jumps to death during Maratha reservation stir

Amidst a 'Jal samadhi' agitation regarding reservations for Maratha community members, a youth jumped into the Godavari river on Monday.

As per the police, Kakasaheb Shinde, a resident of Kaygaon village in Aurangabad district, died due to drowning, after he jumped off a bridge.

Following the death of the youth, Maratha Kranti Morcha workers vandalised a bus on the Aurangabad-Pune highway.

They also blocked the Mumbai-Pune highway, demanding the declaration of Shinde as a "martyr".

"We demand that he should be declared a martyr, his family should be given compensation of Rs 50 Lakh, his brother be given a government job and action be taken against local administration. We won't collect his body or perform his last rites until and unless our demands are met," a protestor told ANI.

Last year, members of the Maratha Kranti Morcha had taken to streets to organise 'silent marches' across several towns in Maharashtra, seeking reservations for Marathi people in government jobs and educational institutions.

(ANI)