Sambhaji Brigade is a Maratha outfit, based in Maharashtra, India. It is a branch of the Maratha Seva Sangh. The Brigade is named after the Maratha king Sambhaji son of the first Maratha king Shivaji. Known for its controversial and often violent agitations, it gained exposure after its members attacked, vandalised and ransacked the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, claiming that it helped American scholar James Laine’s book on Shivaji titled Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India, certain parts of which were unacceptable to them. During this attack on BORI, they destroyed many precious and rare manuscripts which laid to decades of research to waste. Sambhaji Brigade demands reservation for the Maratha community and wants inclusion of Marathas in Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. They also demand free education for Maratha children and registered marriages instead of religious ceremonies. The organization has been described as having an anti-Brahmin caste stand and has been repeatedly criticized for its extremist views. Controversies Sambhaji Brigade is known for aggressive and violent agitations. Their first violent protest was an attack on Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Several historical records were destroyed in this attack including handwritten copies by Adya Shankaracharya. This was followed by uprooting of Dadoji Kondev's Statue from Lal Mahal, then by attacks on Waghya dog's statue on Raigad fort and then by attacks on R. R. Patil. 2004 James Laine incident A group of brigade members attacked and vandalised the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute(BORI) in January 2004. The attack was prompted by the controversy over James Laine's controversial book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India (OUP, 2003); scholars from the institute had collaborated with Laine on information for his book about the founder of the Maratha Empire, Shivaji, which the group had viewed as blasphemy claiming that book features "derogatory remarks on Shivaji and his mother". Angry mob of Sambhaji Brigade stormed the BORI and destroyed priceless manuscripts and artifacts. Then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee condemned this violence though he upheld the importance of disagreement and debate in a democracy. After the incident 72 members of the group were arrested. In 2004 the director-general of police announced that a legal ban on the organization was being investigated, but as of 2015, organization has never been banned. Statue of Dadoji Konddev In 2010, NCP-controlled Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) decision to remove the statue of Dadoji Kondadev was claimed to