The silent rallies by the Marathas, a dominant force in Maharashtra politics, have been going on for a month, following the rape and murder of a girl at Kopardi in Ahmednagar district two months ago.
“Our rallies are turning out to be one of the most disciplined rallies this State has ever witnessed. We have our demands, but we do not shout slogans. Our strength is in our numbers and we don’t need to indulge in any publicity tactics,” said Naresh Kadu, one of the organising committee members in Navi Mumbai.
The charter of demands, presented by five girls to the Konkan Divisional Commissioner, included their demand to hang the accused in Kopardi rape case, the appointment of Ujjwal Nikam as prosecution lawyer, implementation of reservation for Marathas, amendment in the Atrocity Act, and satisfactory rates for the agricultural produce of farmers.
Each district where the rallies are to be held conducts a meeting seeking volunteers in organising it. After finalising the date, each member of the community voluntarily accepts several responsibilities, which range from providing water to protesters to setting up a temporary stage. While donations are accepted from all parties and individuals, they are not allowed to flaunt their names. This is to avoid any attempt by anyone to hijack the stage.
In the run up to Wednesday’s rally, over 2,000 WhatsApp groups have been active for the last 15 days in Navi Mumbai. Instructions to protesters, route of the march, responsibilities, and structure of the rally was conveyed through WhatsApp. Vashi’s Agricultural Produce Market Committee was officially shut for a day to allow its over 25,000 labourers – mostly from Maratha community – to participate in the rally.
Almost 30 per cent of the participants were women, which the organisers said was low when compared to their turn out in the rural belts. “We are deeply hurt by what has happened in Kopardi. We are coming out to demand justice and with this woman power on road, the government will have to deliver it,” said Dr. Puja Raundale, a protester.
Despite their attendance, no political leader was allowed to lead the rally. BJP MLC Pravin Darekar, NCP MLA Shashikant Shinde, a dozen of corporators, and local leaders cutting across party lines registered their presence and walked along with other community members.
According to Advocate J.L. Patil, unemployment, farming distress and misuse of Atrocity Act in several cases has irked the community as a result of which they are hitting the streets. “We are not against any community, but we will not suffer any more as we demand our right,” he said, adding that the response to the rallies is voluntary and not paid.
