Mumbai

On Friday, a group of seven to eight tribal legislators from both ruling and opposition parties, led by Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, protested by jumping from the third floor into a safety net at Mantralaya. They were opposing the state government’s decision to grant reservation to the Dhangar community from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category and a proposal to treat Dhangars and Dhangads as the same group.

This dramatic protest unfolded while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was holding a Cabinet meeting on the seventh floor. The legislators also threw papers to express their frustration. Zirwal, along with Kiran Lahamte, Hiraman Kosekar, Sunil Bhusara, and BJP MP Hemant Sahara, was upset that the Chief Minister had not met with them to discuss this sensitive issue, despite their wait of over seven hours the previous day.

As they chanted slogans from the safety net, police struggled to bring them down. Senior officers attempted to persuade them, but the legislators remained resolute. The protest surprised police, who quickly deployed additional personnel. Many staff members gathered to witness the demonstration. Zirwal, visibly emotional, emphasized their fight for justice for the tribal community and its youth, who have faced employment challenges under the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996. Amidst health concerns, police eventually escorted the protesting legislators to the second floor, but they continued their sit-in protest, refusing to leave.