The state secretariat in Mumbai witnessed unprecedented scenes on Friday when Maharashtra Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal and three other legislators jumped from the third floor to protest the inclusion of a community in the Scheduled Tribes category. Mr Zirwal and the three legislators, including a BJP MP, landed safely on a net one floor below which had been installed in 2018 to prevent suicide attempts in the secretariat, which is called the Mantralaya.
Mr Zirwal, who is a member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the three legislators decided to jump from the Mantralaya to oppose the demand for the Dhangar community being included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, which is reportedly being considered by the government. Officials said none of them suffered any injuries.
Videos showed the three legislators climbing back into the building after landing on the net.
#WATCH | NCP leader Ajit Pawar faction MLA and deputy speaker Narhari Jhirwal jumped from the third floor of Maharashtra’s Mantralaya and got stuck on the safety net. Police present at the spot. Details awaited pic.twitter.com/nYoN0E8F16
— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2024
Earlier in the day, some tribal MLAs held a protest in the Mantralaya complex during a cabinet meeting attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, among others.
The Dhangar community in the state is currently in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and some of its members have been agitating in Pandharpur in Solapur district demanding their inclusion in the ST category. The demonstrators have claimed that their community is the same as the Dhangads which are listed as Scheduled Tribes in several states.
(With inputs from ANI)