AURANGABAD: Miscreants continued their arson spree in different districts of the Marathwada region for the second consecutive day in protest against renaming of Marathwada University after Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

In Bansarwada village of Beed district, anti-social elements torched an entire police chowki. However, there has been no casualty.

A poultry farm was also set afire by a mob in Pali village of Ghansavangi Taluka after dousing it with kerosene.

Tension gripped Badnapur village of Jaina district where some miscreants desecrated a statue of Dr-Ambedkar Jan.15. Another statue of Dr.Ambedkar was damaged in Kadegaon village Twenty persons were arrested in this connection, the DIG of Aurangabad police said,

Day and night curfew continues in Wasmat Taluka of Parbhani district while in Jintur, Selu and Manvat Taluka of this district day curfew has been relaxed.

 BOMBAY :Marathwada subsided into an uneasy calm on Saturday in response to a bandh call by the Shiv Sena after violence broke out all over the region on Friday evening with over 50 incidents of stone-pelting and arson, after renaming of the Marathwada University as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada. University was announced. However, no loss of life was reported.

A mob of about 100 people torched a railway engine and a luggage van at Nilgam in Nanded distinct in the morning. In the seven districts of Marathwada as a whole, police reported over 50 incidents of stone-pelting and arson. Elsewhere in the State, there were one incident each at Solapur, Nashik and Bhandara.

The worst-affected district was Jaina district, where 10 incidents of stone-pelting and arson were reported, followed by Parbhani With nine and Nanded with seven, according to State police control here,

Over 600 people were arrested Since Friday evening, while police had carried out preventive arrests of some 1,450 people in the region. There were no major incidents reported since the Nilgam torching.

The bandh called by the Shiv Sena was widely followed and rail traffic was disrupted due to the arson at Nilgam. State transport buses stayed off the roads after three buses were reported burnt on Friday night. Private transport, however piled.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 21, 1994