Mumbai: The Maharashtra police on Monday registered two cases against Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange after his supporters staged demonstrations without permission and blocked roads at two different locations in Maharashtra’s Beed district. A police source said that about 80 people were booked on charges of unlawful assembly, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, wrongful restraint, and section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. It is being said that despite Jarange was not present at the two spots where the demonstrations took place, he was booked after it came to fore that the protesters took to the streets on his appeal.

An official said, the protests were held on Saturday at Jatnandur Phata in Shirur village and on Beed-Ahmednagar Road in Patoda in Beed district wherein slogans were raised against the state government and roads were blocked.

The demonstrations and blocking of roads were staged without permission, says a police official

The demonstrations were staged without the necessary permission from authorities and in violation of prohibitory orders issued by the Beed district collector, he said.

"As the agitations were held on the appeal made by Jarange, his name is also included as an accused along with others," the official said.

Jarange has been demanding the implementation of a draft notification issued by the Maharashtra government last month for issuing certificates to blood relatives of eligible Kunbi Marathas.

The Kunbi (agricultural community) falls under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Jarange has been demanding the issuance of Kunbi certificates to ‘sage soyre’ or blood relatives of Kunbi Marathas and a quota for the Maratha community under the OBC grouping.

Jarange on Sunday announced that he would travel to Mumbai to press for his demands as he accused Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of blocking the implementation of the draft notification.

Earlier, Manoj Jarange Patil announced the withdrawal of his 17-day-long hunger strike on Monday.