Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Members of the OBC community, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike protesting against the dilution of the OBC quota, called off their agitation on the fourth day following a visit from state cabinet minister Atul Save on Saturday evening.The protesters said Save, on behalf of the state government, has assured them that the OBC quota would remain intact, and would not be shared with the Maratha community.The state government has assured us that the reservation rights of the OBC community would not be encroached upon. We have withdrawn our strike based on this assurance, said Rambhau Perkar, one of the OBC leaders who was on a hunger strike.Sudam Chinchine, another community leader, said the government has also promised that it would form a special investigation team (SIT) to scrutinize the alleged bogus OBC caste certificates. The authorities have been acting hand-in-glove with the bogus beneficiaries. The SIT probe can only expose such a nexus and punish the officials, he said.The agitating OBC leaders said the state government would also consider reviewing the demand to scrap a GR issued to give Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas from the Marathwada region. We have temporarily withdrawn our agitation as the government has assured us of support. We will renew the agitation if the government ignores our demands and continues to appease the Maratha community by meting out injustice done to us, Perkar said.A large group of OBC community members had gathered at Kranti Chowk on September 13 to protest against the state government over its alleged unjust and illegal stand on the Maratha reservation. We also published the following articles recentlyNow, Mali community opposes Maratha reservation in OBC quotaThe Mali community in Maharashtra is protesting against the inclusion of Marathas in the Other Backward Categories (OBC) quota list. They argue that including Marathas in the OBC quota, which already has a 27% reservation, would be unfair to all. The Mali community plans to stage protests across the state and has submitted representations to district collectors. They suggest that Marathas should be granted reservation separately and that a caste-wise census is needed to accurately determine backwardness.Reservation for Marathas will not affect OBC quota, Fadnavis assures protestersDeputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has appealed to the OBC and Kunbi communities to end their chain hunger strike. He assured them that the state government will not disturb their respective reservations to accommodate the Marathas. The protesters fear that the Maratha community will be granted the status of Kunbi and take up a portion of the OBC quota. Fadnavis stated that no injustice will be done to the OBC community and that measures suggested by a retired judge committee are being implemented.Assure us that Marathas wont be included in OBC list: Kunbis to stateKunbi organizations in Maharashtra have announced plans to launch an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the state government. They are demanding a written assurance that Marathas will not be given Kunbi caste certificates, which would grant them access to OBC reservation benefits. The All Kunbi-OBC Action Committee is also calling for an increase in the 27% reservation limit for OBCs and separate reservation for Marathas, exceeding the 50% cap set by the Supreme Court. Political leaders have visited the protest site to show support. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has stated that the government is seeking a solution within the confines of the law.

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