Mumbai: The Maharashtra state secretariat was the scene of a dramatic protest on Friday, as Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal and three other legislators leaped from the third floor to voice their opposition to the proposed inclusion of the Dhangar community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. Fortunately, the legislators landed safely on a safety net installed one floor below to prevent suicide attempts, a measure put in place in 2018.
Mr. Zirwal, affiliated with the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), along with the other lawmakers, chose this extreme form of protest amid ongoing discussions about the Dhangar community's potential reclassification. Officials reported that none of the legislators sustained injuries during the jump.
Videos captured the moment as the lawmakers climbed back into the building after their descent onto the net. Earlier that day, tribal MLAs had gathered in the Mantralaya complex to protest while a cabinet meeting was being held with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, and other officials in attendance.
Currently classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC), members of the Dhangar community have been actively agitating in Pandharpur, located in the Solapur district, demanding their recognition as Scheduled Tribes. The protesters argue that their community shares the same heritage as the Dhangads, who are already recognized as Scheduled Tribes in several other states.
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