Paper leak protests hit Pune as Maratha quota stir looms in Maharashtra

Mumbai: The students' agitation in Delhi might have ended, but the BJP government in Maharashtra has been grappling with a wave of protests across the state, as students, Marathas, OBCs and tribals are protesting over different demands. On Monday, thousands of students took to the streets in Pune, demanding the resignation of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission chairman and secretary following a paper leak. The students, backed by almost all Opposition parties, carried out a march, raising slogans and heading towards the Pune District Collectorate. Also read: Jarange refuses to call off hunger strike; threatens to reach Mumbai if demands not met by Sep 11 NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule, who participated in the protest, said, "The children have come out on the roads. The government should listen to them and send a responsible person to talk to them. The students' protest at Jantar Mantar spiralled because the government ignored their protests. I refuse to believe that the government cannot stop paper leaks. They (the government) have been a failure everywhere. Women are protesting, industrialists are unhappy," said Sule. Students and their parents are upset with the government after the question paper for the Drug Inspector examination got leaked in March this year. The MPSC had initially claimed that the paper had not been leaked, only to later accept that the paper was leaked. Apart from the students, Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil has been on a fast at Antarvalli Sarati village in Jalna, seeking 58 lakh Kunbi caste certificates for the Maratha community so that they can avail OBC reservation benefits. Patil has now asked members of the Maratha community to gather at Antarvalli Sarati village on September 12, from where they will proceed to Mumbai to resume a larger agitation.