The atmosphere has heated up after the police lathicharged on protesters demanding Maratha reservation in Jalna, Maharashtra. Opposition parties have accused the Shinde government of ordering lathi charge. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh gave a statement regarding this. He said that I was the Home Minister and I know who gives the orders.
Regarding the lathi charge in Jalna, Deshmukh accused the government and said, “There was a peaceful movement going on in Jalna, it is wrong to lathi charge a Maratha agitator. The Home Ministry ordered, hence lathi charge took place here. Maratha society came together. Seeing this, the police have made the Superintendent of Police a scapegoat and sent him on forced leave.” He said that the entire incident should be investigated by a retired judge.
Deshmukh said that he had been the former Home Minister of Maharashtra and according to his information, the order was received by the police from the Home Ministry itself. The lathicharge took place there only after receiving a call from the Ministry of Home Affairs. No senior police officer of Jalna district can himself do this kind of lathi charge unless he is ordered from above. The call received from the Ministry of Home Affairs should be probed. Who had called the ministry will be revealed after investigation.
Let us inform you that after the violence in Jalna, the current District Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi has been sent on leave. In his place, Shailesh Balakwade has been appointed as the new SP of Jalna. This action was taken two days after violence broke out after lathicharge on protesters demanding Maratha reservation.