Maratha quota: 2 commit suicide, 8 attempt self-immolation

Mumbai: The spate of suicides spurred by the Maratha quota agitation rose to six on Tuesday as a labourer and a student ended their lives, while eight protesters attempted suicide on Tuesdsay in Maharashtra, police said.

The 17-year-old student died after jumping into a well at Vadodbazar village in Fulambri teshil of Aurangabad district, police said.

Pradip Hari Mhaske, who secured 75 per cent marks in the 10th standard exam, failed to secure admission in a junior college and a technical training institute in absence of any Maratha quota in these institutions, an official said.

Mhaskes suicide triggered a fresh set of protests, with Maratha community members staging a 'rasta roko' protest on the Aurangabad-Jalgaon road.

His family members demanded immediate grant of quota for Marathas, financial compensation and also action against the college which denied him admission, he said.

Abhijeet Deshmukh, 35, a farm labourer in Veeda village in Beed district in Marathwada region hanged himself from a tree near his house today, police said.

Among the other reasons Deshmukh mentioned in his suicide note were unemployment and unpaid bank loan, a police official said.

"We found a suicide note in which Deshmukh mentioned that he is taking this extreme step in support of Maratha reservation demand," Beed SP G Shridhar said.

This is the fifth suicide in the state over Maratha reservation issue.

A 38-year-old man allegedly committed suicide on July 29 in Nanded district over the Maratha quota demand, police said. Kacharu Kalyane hanged himself from the ceiling at his home in Dhabad village of Nanded district when his family members were out for some work.

His suicide note mentioned that he was ending his life over the Maratha community's demand for reservation, a police official said.

A 35-year-old man had allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train in Aurangabad on July 29 over the Maratha quota demand, police said.

Last week, two men in Aurangabad district committed suicide over demand for the quota, while another protester, injured in the Maratha stir violence in Navi Mumbai, died at a Mumbai hospital on July 26.

Eight protesters attempted self-immolation by pouring kerosene in support of Maratha reservation in Latur district, also in Marathwada region, police said.

In the self-immolation attempt, held outside the tehsildar office at Ausa in Latur district, eight protesters poured kerosene on themselves and attempted suicide but police intervened before they could do so, Latur Superintendent of Police Shivaji Rathod said.