Mumbai (Maharashtra): Maratha quota agitators vandalised Maharashtra cabinet minister Hasan Mushrif's SUV parked in south Mumbai on Wednesday morning, police said. Three persons were detained by the Marine Drive police in this connection, an official said. Mushrif belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
At around 7.30 a.m., two Maratha quota activists armed with wooden sticks attacked the minister's SUV (sports utility vehicle) parked near the Akashwani MLA hostel in south Mumbai. The window panes of the vehicle were damaged, the official said. The agitators were raising the slogan "Ek Maratha, lakh Maratha," he said.
Police rushed to the spot and three persons were taken into custody. During the enquiry, it came to light that these persons were from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the official said. The damaged vehicle was taken to the Marine Drive police station for further probe into the incident, he added.
On October 26, two cars of lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte, who is a vociferous opponent of the Maratha reservation, were vandalised in the Parel area in Mumbai. Three men were later arrested for damaging the vehicles, police earlier said. After violent incidents in various parts of the state over the demand for the Maratha reservation, the Mumbai police have stepped up the security of cabinet ministers, other political leaders, offices of political parties and important places in the metropolis.
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