Aurangabad : The agitation by the Dhangar community in Parbhani took an ugly turn on Tuesday when one of the members hurled a boot at the convoy of the district guardian minister Suresh Dhas while others tried to block the car of the deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar.
Manik Thakar, who hurled the boot at Dhas, was arrested and released on bail while 15 Dhangar other agitators were booked.
The attempt to block Pawar’s car was foiled thanks to the timely intervention of police.
The two ministers were on their way from a guest house to the district collectorate at 8.30 am. As they approached the Shivaji Statue Square, more than a hundred activists were agitating at a tent. On seeing the ministers’ convoy, some of the agitators walked up to the centre of the road to block the cars. But police immediately removed them.
Thakar hurled his boot at Dhas. However, it missed the target and hit the car window. Thousands of members of Dhangar community have taken to the streets across the state demanding the inclusion of their community in the scheduled tribe (ST) category for reservations in education and jobs.
Sudhir Dharmadhikari
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