CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Amid demands of different communities for reservation, activist Deepak Rannaware has started an indefinite hunger strike in Jalna district demanding free education for students from the Brahmin community. The hunger strike started on Tuesday under the umbrella organisation Samast Brahman Samaj Sangharsh Samiti. It aims to put pressure on the government to address the long-pending demands of the community.The hunger strike is taking place in Jalna, which has recently seen agitations by different communities, including Marathas, OBCs and Dhangars, for their reservation demand.Rannaware told TOI, "Our key demand is that entire education should be made free for the Brahmin community students. There are very few government jobs available now. So, we have been demanding the setting up of Parshuram financial development corporation so that the financially weaker sections of the community can turn entrepreneurs."He said these are not new demands and the same have been raised for over 15 years from different platforms. The list of demands includes construction of independent boys and girls hostels in each district, an honorarium of Rs 5,000 for Brahmin priests and appointment at the temples for performing rituals. Another important demand is converting the class-II Inami lands given to Brahmin community priests for their sustenance into class-I land and granting the ownership rights of these properties to them. There is also a demand to make the management rights of traditional temples hereditary.

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