32-year-old ends life over Banjara reservation demand

BEED: A 32-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in Maharashtra's Beed district on Tuesday morning over the Banjara community's demand for reservation in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, police said.

Before hanging himself from a tree at Kekat Pangri village in Georai tehsil, Pravin Baburao Jadhav uploaded a video statement on social media explaining his reasons for the extreme step, said an official.

As his body was brought to the Georai Sub-District Hospital, locals staged a blockade on Dhule-Solapur road, demanding that the government take action on the issue.

Jadhav was reportedly unhappy over the Banjaras being denied reservation benefits under the ST category, the police official said.

He had expressed frustration following the Maharashtra government's decision to accept entries in the Hyderabad Gazette for granting recognition as Kunbi to eligible Marathas (so that they could get OBC reservation), asking why the Banjaras were not similarly given ST quota, the official added.

"A case of accidental death has been registered at Georai police station and further investigation is underway," said Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Katake.