Maratha quota protest: Over 1,500 cops at Azad Maidan; railway police too gear up

Mumbai, Aug 28 (PTI) Over 1,500 Mumbai police personnel have been deployed at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai to maintain law and order ahead of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange’s agitation, officials said on Thursday.

Security has also been beefed up at the nearby Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) where quota agitation supporters are arriving from Maharashtra's hinterlands, the railway police said. Senior police officials, including Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satya Narayan visited the protest venue in the evening and took stock of the security arrangements.

Jarange, 43, has announced that he would launch an indefinite fast at the Azad Maidan from August 29. He along with thousands of supporters left his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district on August 26. On Thursday morning, he reached Shivneri fort, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and later proceeded to Mumbai.

He has been demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis – an agrarian caste included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category – which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.

In view of the protest, the police have put in place security arrangements at the Azad Maidan. They expect more than 20,000 protesters in south Mumbai, an official said.

Besides the local police, one company each of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force (RAF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) are also deployed at the protest venue and its surrounding areas to avoid any untoward incident, he said.

Some units of the central forces currently deployed in Mumbai to provide security during the ongoing Ganesh festival have been diverted for the Maratha quota protest, the official said.

Anticipating a large number of protesters at the Azad Maidan, police have denied permission to three other organisations, who had sought permission to hold protests at the ground on Friday, another official said.

Azad Maidan is a designated place to hold protests, marches or rallies in south Mumbai.

As the site can accommodate only 5,000 agitators at a time, police have denied permission to other organisations to hold protests on the same day, the official said.

A couple of organisations have offered their support to the Maratha quota agitation, and letters have been given to the police accordingly, he said.

Even as the protest is set to begin on Friday, people from all over the state have started reaching the Azad Maidan. Jarange and his supporters will likely reach Navi Mumbai late Thursday evening.

Considering the traffic congestion on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Sion-Panvel Highway due to Jarange's convoy, the Navi Mumbai Police have restricted vehicular movement on some roads in the city.

A senior Railway Protection Force (RPF) official of the Central Railway told PTI that they have deployed an additional 40 RPF personnel and around 60 Maharashtra Security Force personnel at the CSMT which is a stone's throw away from the Azad Maidan.

Besides, 240 additional RPF personnel have been deployed at various suburban stations in view of the ongoing Ganapati festival.

A senior Government Railway Police (GRP) officer said they have deployed 40 extra personnel at CSMT, in addition to the regular deployment of 160 personnel during the day and 70 at night.

Groups of Maratha quota protesters from outside Mumbai, wearing saffron caps and scarves and holding saffron flags, were seen walking out of the CSMT towards Azad Maidan during the day. There was also some sloganeering.

Some protesters took shelter inside the terminus building when it rained heavily. PTI DC KK NP NR KRK