Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, 3 MLAs jump off secretariat building in protest, land on net safely
Mumbai/IBNS: In an unprecedented event, Maharashtra Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal and three other legislators jumped off from the third floor of the state secretariat building in Mumbai to protest the inclusion of a community in the Scheduled Tribes category
Zirwal and the three legislators, including a BJP MP, landed safely on a net one floor below which had been installed in 2018 to prevent suicide attempts in the secretariat, which is called the Mantralaya.
Zirwal, who is a member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the three legislators decided to jump from the Mantralaya to oppose the demand for the Dhangar community's inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, which is reportedly being considered by the government.
Officials said none of them suffered any injuries.
Videos showed the three legislators climbing back into the building after landing on the net.
Deputy speaker of Maharashtra and Ajit Pawar faction MLA #NarhariJhirwal jumped from the roof of Maharashtra's Mantralaya and got stuck on the safety net. He jumped from the third floor of the Mantralaya.#Maharastra pic.twitter.com/yuKElcrL6r
— Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) October 4, 2024
Earlier in the day, some tribal MLAs held a protest in the Mantralaya complex during a cabinet meeting attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, among others.
