Kin of those who ended lives await govt aid, job

CLEARED SKHER

Aurangabad

: Families of the Maratha community members, who ended their lives during the protests for reservation, said that they felt let down by the government. Most of them said that they had neither received full ex-gratia announced by the government, nor did the next of kin get a

job

.

On July 23, 2018, Kakasaheb Shinde took take extreme step by plunging in Godavari river from Kaygaon Toka bridge on Aurangabad-Pune highway.

High court lawyer Abhaysinh Bhosale said, “The then CM Devendra Fadnavis had assured of government jobs and monetary compensation to kin of those who ended their lives. The promise is yet to be fulfilled.”

Maratha Kranti Morcha office-bearer Abhijit Deshmukh told TOI that 50 people from the community took extreme step while demanding reservation. Deshmukh said only Shinde’s brother has been given a permanent job in city based college by NCP MLC Satish Chavan.

Anant Levde (24) had immolated himself on August 5, 2018 in Parbhani and succumbed to the burn injuries the same day. His brother Dnyaneshwar told TOI, “We have received only Rs 5 lakh of the Rs 10 lakh of assured compensation. I am still awaiting the assured government job.”

Shivaji Kate from Pimpalner in Beed district committed suicide by hanging on August 3, 2018 and left behind a suicide note demanding reservation. His sons, Krushna and Anna, said they had neither been compensated nor given government job. “We feel ditched by the system and the successive governments that have failed to keep their promises,” said Krushna.