Kolhapur: The bandh called by the Maratha outfits in Sangli district received good response on Thursday.All businesses, shops, offices and public transport services remained completely shut in Sangli, Miraj and Islampur cities. As the markets remained closed, transport of vegetables and other farm produce to the Sangli APMC were also affected. The raisin and turmeric markets also remained shut. The call for bandh was made to protest against the lathicharge by Jalna police on members of the Maratha community. The members were sitting on an agitation for around 10 days, demanding reservation for the community under the OBC quota. The Maratha outfits in Sangli also released a statement that they should not only get reservation under the OBC quota, but also their quota should not be restricted to Marathwada. Sanjay Patil, convener of the bandh, said, We want a reservation that is legally valid. It can happen only if the Marathas get reservation through the OBC quota. We are soon going to hold another protest to pitch for our demand. This time, we called the bandh to condemn the violence and demand resignation of home minister Devendra Fadnavis. We do not want his apology, but he should step down. The Maratha outfits also held a massive bike rally in Sangli city on Thursday morning. The rally passed through major areas that remained deserted due to the bandh. The bandh lasted till 4pm, but most of the businesses decided to remain shut. Later in the evening citizens were seen wandering on the streets.

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