An activist, who was accompanying Maratha quota movement leader Manoj Jarange and his supporters for his protest in Mumbai over the reservation issue, died of a heart attack near Junnar in Maharashtra`s Pune district on Thursday, police said, reported the PTI.
The deceased, identified as 40-year-old Satish Deshmukh from Beed district, was part of the group traveling with Jarange to Mumbai, where the latter will launch his indefinite fast at Azad Maidan from August 29 to press for the Maratha quota demand, according to the PTI.
“Deshmukh complained of chest pain near Lenyadri in Junnar tehsil on Thursday morning and was rushed to a hospital in Narayangaon, where he was declared dead,” a senior official of the Pune rural police said, as per the PTI.
Jarange set out for Mumbai from his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, Jarange reached Shivneri fort, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in Junnar tehsil along with hundreds of supporters. After paying homage to the legendary Maratha King at the fort, he proceeded towards Mumbai.
Manoj Jarange has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Mumbai Police has allowed Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange to stage a peaceful protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on August 29.
The police has allowed protest, restricting the number of supporters at the venue to 5,000, said the official.
The permission has been granted in accordance with the guidelines of the Bombay High Court, the official said.
As per the guidelines, the number of protesters should not exceed 5,000, he said.
The Bombay High Court had on Tuesday stated that Manoj Jarange cannot hold a protest without prior permission from the authorities and cited the law and order situation in Mumbai during the Ganesh festival, according to the PTI.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne noted that the government can decide whether to offer an alternative place at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai to the respondent (Jarange) to hold a peaceful protest so that the tempo of life in Mumbai is not disturbed, as per the PTI.
(with PTI inputs)
