Wednesday’s Mumbai bandh, called by Maratha groups demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutions, was called off midway after violence marred the protests.

No loss of life was reported but public vehicles were targeted. One person in Aurangabad died from having consumed poison a day earlier.

By afternoon on Wednesday, the Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM), which has been spearheading the agitation, called it off in Mumbai. However, it continued in the city’s outskirts, affecting traffic on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, and on the Mumbai-Goa highway.

“We only wanted to prove that we are together and proved it. We never wanted protests to get violent and therefore, we are calling off our bandh in Mumbai for today,” Virendra Pawar, leader of the Morcha, told reporters. “We suspect some people carried out violent activities with political motives. Otherwise, it was supposed to be peaceful like before. But considering the reports of violence coming from outside Mumbai, we decided to call it off.”

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, protesters attacked buses, indulged in arson and pelted stones at local trains. Police used force, including tear-gas shelling and baton charges, to disperse the violent protesters at several places.

Pawar said many silent protests had been carried out by the MKM in the last two years, but the State government had not heeded the demands of the community. The government’s inaction had led the protesters to become violent.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a statement that he was ready to hold talks with the leaders of the community. His government had agreed in principle to provide caste-based reservations to the Marathas. A law was also passed by the government but it was challenged in the High Court and the matter is now the Supreme Court. The government has also set up a commission to look into the issue.

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