Maratha quota stir: Mumbai bandh today; Navi Mumbai, Panvel to also be shutÂ

1. Maratha quota stir: Mumbai bandh today; Navi Mumbai, Panvel to also be shut As the Maratha quota stir intensified, agitators clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places on Tuesday.

2. Mumbaikars on Wednesday braced for a Mumbai bandh after large-scale violence marred a state-wide protest on Tuesday by Maratha outfits demanding reservations for the community in Maharashtra, where a constable died and nine other policemen were injured amid a suicide attempt by three agitators. As the stir for reservations in jobs and education intensified, the Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, is taking its battle to Mumbai where it has called for the shutdown. Another outfit, the Sakal Maratha Samaj, called for a bandh on Wednesday in Navi Mumbai and Panvel as well. On Tuesday, stone-pelting and arson were reported from several parts of the state, which remained on edge. Agitators clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places, while internet services were suspended in rural areas of Aurangabad district to prevent any untoward incident. In Jalna, the police fired in the air to scatter protesters. The impact of Tuesday's bandh was more visible in Aurangabad and adjoining districts in the central region of the state, a day after the death of a protester. Quotas for Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, has been a hugely contentious issue. One constable dies A constable, deployed near the funeral venue of the protester who jumped to death on Monday, died. Police said the cause of death is yet to be ascertained. "The postmortem report is awaited. Some injury marks were seen on his hands and legs," a police official said, adding another constable there got injured in stone-pelting. Protester Kakasaheb Shinde (27) had jumped to death from a bridge over the Godavari in Aurangabad on Monday. Shiv Sena MP manhandled Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire faced the ire of the protesters when he went to attend his last rites at his Kaygaon village on Tuesday. Khaire was manhandled by the crowd and had to beat a hasty retreat, police said, adding there was stone pelting on his car too. The police at the venue caned protesters and lobbed tear gas shells, Aurangabad SP Arti Singh told PTI. "The situation in Aurangabad is under control. Police are alert to avert any unwanted incident."