Manoj Jarange Maratha quota protest: The Maratha quota agitation led by activist Manoj Jarange reached a critical juncture on Tuesday as his indefinite hunger strike entered its fifth day. Mumbai Police issued a formal notice to Jarange and his core team, directing them to vacate Azad Maidan immediately. The move followed growing concerns over public inconvenience, law and order, and violations of pre-agitation conditions.
Though permission had initially been granted for a gathering of 5,000, officials reported that more than 40,000 protesters arrived in south Mumbai from different parts of Maharashtra. The large crowds caused significant disruption, with major roads blocked, over 5,000 vehicles parked around Azad Maidan and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), and heavy traffic congestion paralysing the city centre.
Violations of protest guidelines
Authorities noted that protesters breached multiple conditions set by the police. Demonstrators were seen cooking food, bathing, playing cricket, dancing, and engaging in sports like kabaddi and kho-kho on public roads. Garbage and leftover food littered streets near CSMT, forcing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to deploy over 1,000 sanitation workers and use jet sprays to restore cleanliness.
Court intervention and police notice
The Bombay High Court on Monday criticised the disruption caused by the agitation, observing that Mumbai had been “literally paralysed”. The court directed protesters to vacate and clean up all occupied streets by Tuesday noon. Following this, the police issued a notice in the name of Amaran Uposhan, the organising body from Jarange’s native Jalna district, and eight members of its core team, citing serious violations. Permission sought for an extension of the agitation was also denied.
Jarange’s health concerns over hunger strike
Jarange, 43, who has been on an indefinite fast, intensified his protest on Monday by briefly stopping water intake. Doctors from JJ Hospital have been monitoring his condition for two days. Supporters expressed concern for his health but reiterated their commitment to the cause.
What is the demand?
Jarange’s principal demand is the inclusion of Marathas in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category to enable reservation benefits. He has accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of deliberately delaying a decision. “It is so easy to decide. The government should implement gazetteers from Hyderabad and Satara, declare all Marathas in Marathwada as Kunbis, and allow district collectors and tehsildars to issue certificates,” he said.
Despite repeated warnings, many protesters remained in south Mumbai late on Monday, keeping trucks and buses parked around CSMT and Azad Maidan. The disruptions have impacted commuters, with reports of traffic chaos, difficulty in pedestrian movement, and sanitation challenges following rainfall.
The Maratha quota stir, one of the largest seen in Mumbai in recent years, has escalated into a high-stakes standoff between Jarange’s supporters and the state government.