Manoj Jarange Patil, a prominent activist for Maratha reservation, has commenced an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, demanding reservation benefits for the Maratha community. He has vowed not to end the agitation until the community's demands are met. Thousands of members of the Maratha community have gathered in Mumbai to support Jarange, demanding a 10% reservation quota under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Jarange arrived at the protest venue with thousands of supporters and declared that he would not back down until the state granted the community its rightful reservation. He stated his readiness to sacrifice his life, insisting that they would not leave Mumbai without justice, even if it meant facing arrest or being shot. He accused the Maharashtra government of non-cooperation on the Maratha quota issue.
The activist's march began from Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, and his convoy received a grand welcome in Vashi before entering Mumbai. The Jalna police had permitted the procession under 40 strict conditions, including maintaining law and order, preventing traffic disruptions, and refraining from raising provocative slogans. Mumbai Police have also placed tight security in and around Azad Maidan and CSMT. The Mumbai Traffic Police have issued an advisory announcing traffic restrictions in the Mankhurd and Trombay areas.
The central demand of the protest is to issue Kunbi caste certificates for all Marathas, provide free education from kindergarten to postgraduate level, and reserve seats for Marathas in government job recruitments. Jarange has been demanding that all Marathas be recognized as Kunbis, an agrarian caste included in the OBC category, which would make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education. He emphasized the Maratha community's need for inclusion as Kunbi caste within the OBC quota, pointing out that Marathas constitute 35% of Maharashtra's population and deserve reservations in education and government jobs.
This protest marks Manoj Jarange's ninth agitation in nearly two years advocating for Maratha reservation under the OBC category, which includes over 350 castes. In 2023, the community's struggles led to the issuance of more than 800,000 OBC certificates based on Kunbi identity. The current demands seek a dedicated 10% quota from the overall OBC allocation, not a separate one.
The Maratha reservation issue has a long history of agitation and legislation. In February 2024, the Maharashtra government passed a bill granting a 10% reservation for Marathas, exceeding the 50% cap. The bill was based on findings by the Maharashtra Backwards Class Commission (MBCC), which surveyed over 2.5 crore households to assess the community's social and educational backwardness. However, in 2021, the Supreme Court struck down the Maratha quota, ruling that there were no valid grounds to breach the 50% reservation ceiling. In 2018, the state government granted a 16% quota under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) category, but the Supreme Court struck it down later, ruling that it breached the 50% reservation cap.
Uddhav Thackeray, chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), has criticized the government, stating that the Maratha community has been used and deceived in the past and that their demands should now be fulfilled. He urged the government to immediately engage in dialogue with Manoj Jarange.
Mumbai police have permitted Jarange to stage peaceful protests at Azad Maidan on August 29 between 9 am to 6 pm. The police stipulated that all protesters must leave the site by 6 pm, only five vehicles of protesters can head to Azad Maidan, and the number of protesters should not exceed 5,000. Over 1,500 Mumbai police personnel have been deployed at Azad Maidan to maintain law and order.
