Maratha community to hold 'silent march' in Thane tomorrow

After holding protests in various districts of Maharashtra, members of the Maratha community will take out a silent protest march here tomorrow to press for their various demands, including reservation in jobs and education.
The rally-- Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha-- will start around 10 AM from Marathon chowk in the city and reach the District Collectorate.
With lakhs of community members expected to participate in the morcha, elaborate police bandobast is being put in place. Drones will also be deployed to keep a watch on the march and the entire route will be videographed, police said.
To avoid traffic snarls, no buses of Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) will operate from the Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATIS) locality during the time of the event.

"Besides, over a dozen parking lots have been created to accommodate the vehicles that will carry the participants till the venue," S B Palve, DCP traffic, Thane city, said.
According to the organisers of the event, five girls from the community will address the gathering and then submit the memorandum to the District collector.
The community has been holding marches in different districts to press for their demands, including punishment of culprits in Kopardi rape and murder case, quota in education and government jobs and Amendment in SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to stop its "misuse".
So far, similar marches have been held in various cities, including Pune, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Osmanabad, Beed, Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded, Jalna, Akola, Latur and Solapur.