Mumbai, Sep 27: The Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna on Tuesday enraged the Maratha community by publishing a cartoon that appears to poke fun at the campaign for Maratha reservations that's being organised in Maharashtra.
Samna's office in Navi Mumbai was attacked later in the day, and pro-Maratha social organisation, 'Sambhaji Brigade' claimed responsibility for the incident.
The controversial cartoon shows a man kissing a woman on the cheek. The woman is holding up a placard with the message, 'Mooka Morcha,' or 'kiss' protest. It's a pun on 'Mook Morcha' which means 'silent'protest - the kind that's happening across Maharashtra.
Police said three youths arrived at Saamna's office on Tuesday afternoon, and allegedly pelted the building with stones before fleeing, damaging two or three glasses on the outer wall. They added that an offence had been registered against the vandals and that action would be taken against them.
The spokesperson of the Sambhaji brigade, Shivanand Banuse, told PTI: "We are condemning a cartoon which was published in Saamana. Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and Saamana's executive editor Sanjay Raut must apologise to the women of Maharashtra. The attack was spontaneous and an expression of emotions of the Maratha community."
The Congress' spokesperson in Maharashtra, Sachin Sawant, has called Saamna's cartoon an insult to the Maratha community. The cartoon has also provoked angry responses on social media.
Maratha protests
In addition to asking for reservations, the protesting Marathas also want to see the Scheduled Castes Schedules Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act amended.
The law was enforced to protect members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from atrocities perpetrated by those belonging to upper castes, but there have been allegations that the legislation has been misused to file false cases against members of the Maratha community.
The protestors also asking that the accused in the Kopardi case - in which a 15-year old Maratha girl from Kopardi was brutally raped and murdered - be given the death penalty.
Comments
Apart from Maratha / shivaji they know anything else............
you will be respected only if you respect others. These hate mongers have received the treatment which they gave to others. Wait and see for more to come.
People will today or tomorrow react against yesterday's trouble makers....lot more to come...one day it will be our good hearted hindus attacking chaddeez
look at where we are heading? even an extreme party/organisation also has to face extremism. and i am sure this is hailed by the marathas. sad state of affairs in the country.
Very interesting development. So fare we used to hear about attack by Shiv Sena on offices of media establishments like The Hindu and NDTV. Now their own beloved Maratha's attacking Samna's office.
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