The ongoing agitation by Marathas over reservations has so far claimed three lives, with one more person committing suicide by jumping in front of a running train near Aurangabad.
Indentifying the person who committed suicide as one Pramod Jaising Hore-Patil, the police said that they recovered Hote-Patil’s body from near the tracks on Monday morning.
Ahead of committing suicide, Hore Patil had posted a message on his Facebook page and shared the same message on WhatsApp on Sunday, saying he would be committing suicide in support of the reservation demand. Hore-Patil allegedly jumped before the running train at Mukundwadi near Aurangabad.
In his Facebook massage, Hote-Patil had stated in Marathi, “Chala aaj ek Maratha jaatoy, pan kahi tari Maratha arakshanasathi kara, jai jijau-aapla Pramod Patil (today one Maratha is leaving... but do something for the Maratha reservation... ),” a police official said. Hore-Patil, who was preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission exams, later posted another message, saying “Maratha reservation will claim one life”.
Earlier, two persons —Kakasaheb Dattareya Shinde, and Vishwanath Sonaware – had committed suicide on the Maratha issue. While Shinde plunged into a river from a bridge near Aurangabad on July 23, Sonavane who had consumed poison on July 24 died at the hospital in Aurangabad the following day.