National Desk
4 October
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA and Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Narhari Jhariwal, from the Ajit Pawar faction, attempted to jump from the third floor of the state secretariat, known as Mantralaya Bhavan, on Friday. Fortunately, he landed safely in a safety net below. Jhariwal, who allegedly made the jump as a form of protest, escaped unharmed.
The incident is linked to the ongoing demand by the nomadic ‘Dhangar’ community for their reservation to be moved from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category in Maharashtra. The Dhangar community currently has reservation under the OBC quota but has been pushing for inclusion in the ST quota.
In a viral video of the incident, Jhariwal is seen standing with three other people at the back of the building after landing in the net, while police personnel are also visible in the footage.
Earlier on Friday, MLAs from Maharashtra’s tribal community staged a protest at the start of a Cabinet meeting at Mantralaya Bhavan, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other ministers were also present at the meeting.