Maha: Angry Dhangars smash cars, pelt stones at Jalna Collectorate for quotas

Jalna (Maharashtra), Nov 21 (IANS) A large group of agitating Dhangar community members who marched to the Jalna Collectorate to submit a memorandum allegedly smashed vehicles and pelted stones there after the Collector refused to meet them, their leaders claimed here on Tuesday. 

The Dhangar community which is also agitating for including them as Scheduled Tribes to get quotas and other demands, were halted at the collectorate building gates by the police security.

The protesters turned aggressive and demanded that Collector Shrikrishnanath Panchal should come to meet them and accept their memorandum of demands.

Despite repeated pleas and waiting for quite some time, the leaders said that the Collector did not come down to meet them, after which the restless crowds attempted to barge into the premises.

Some persons were seen rushing inside the collectorate building, others pelted stones and broke several window panes, and targeted some five vehicles parked in the area, smashing flower pots and vandalising the premises, sparking huge tensions even as additional police forces were rushed to the spot.

The Dhangars took out a huge procession around noon which passed through several areas of the town, then converged into a rally addressed by the local leaders, after which a group went to meet the Collector.

The memorandum listed demands like ST reservations should be implemented, conducting a Caste Census, a plot should be given for a memorial to the legendary Queen Ahilyabai Holkar in the town.

Other demands include: arms licence should be issued to shepherds who graze their flock in the forests, free hostel facilities for Dhangar community students in all district of the state, at least one government job per Dhangar family, giving loans at concessional rates through the government and setting up a corporation for Dhangar welfare with a corpus fund of Rs 10,000-crore.

The Dhangar community took out protest marches in several districts across the state today with no reports of any untoward incidents from anywhere.

--IANS

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