Maratha Samaj members organised a rally in Bidar on Wednesday, seeking reservation and other benefits.
While the organisers claimed that over one lakh persons attended the rally, the police counted at least 50,000 attendees.
The protesters carried flags and placards written in Marathi and Kannada, but no slogans were raised as it was supposed to be a Mooka Morcha or a silent rally.
The rally started at the Paapnash temple gate on Zaheerabad-Nanded road. The police stopped the innumerable vehicles carrying the protesters in Naubad on the outskirts of the city. The protesters walked between 3-6 km, depending on where their vans were parked, before the rally ended at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
It seemed that the protesters from neighbouring districts in Telangana and Maharashtra had arrived in Bidar.
The announcers who spoke from a van that moved along with the rallyists, thanked fellow Marathas from Latur and Nanded districts in Maharashtra and Sangareddy and Nizamabad districts of Telangana.
Road block
The rally occupied a large portion of the Zaheerabad-Nanded highway that passes through the city. The road remained blocked for hours. Initially, the police had blocked only one side of the road, but the protesters occupied both sides. No vehicles could move on the main roads from around 11.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The streets turned saffron with many protesters holding the Nandi Dhwaj, the flag of medieval Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj. Men wore cloth and synthetic caps that said: “I am Maratha”, “Reservation” and “Maratha Kranti Mooka Morcha”.
Women power
Women seemed to make up at least one-third of the crowd. Several women marched along holding their babies and bags. The only people who spoke at the rally were a group of 11 girls, chosen from five taluks. They sang songs, recited Shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita, made speeches and read out a memorandum in Marathi and Kannada.
This team handed over copies of the memorandum, addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, to Assistant Commissioner Venkat Raja.
Superintendent of police Prakash Nikam had ensured detailed security arrangements. A team of over 500 police personnel were on duty.
They included civil police and members from two Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons and four District Armed Reserve companies. Officials who walked along the rallyists included three Deputy Superintendents of Police, six Circle Inspectors of Police, 22 Sub-Inspectors of Police, 60 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, and head constables. The police also used three drones to keep an eye on the rally, especially at busy junctions such as the Shivaji Chowk, Rotary Circle and Ambedkar Circle.
Though politicians MP Bhagwant Khuba, MLA Prabhu Chouhan and BJP district unit president Shailendra Beldale participated in the rally, they were not seen on the stage put up before the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Maratha community leaders from the district, including zilla panchayat vice-president Prakash Patil, Baburao Kalasdal, Baburao Karbari, Pradeep Biradar, M.G. Mule, and others were present.
