Maratha Quota Agitation: Police Ask Manoj Jarange, Protesters to Vacate Azad Maidan

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police on Tuesday served a notice to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange and his team, asking them to vacate Azad Maidan as his hunger strike entered its fifth day.

Police said permission had been given for 5,000 protesters to gather, but over 40,000 people turned up from across Maharashtra. The large crowds blocked roads in south Mumbai and parked more than 5,000 vehicles near Azad Maidan and surrounding areas, causing massive traffic jams.

Officials also said protesters cooked food, bathed, danced, and played games like cricket on public roads, violating conditions set for the protest. Civic workers later had to clean up leftover food and garbage near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), just a short distance from Azad Maidan.

On Monday, the Bombay High Court ordered protesters to clear the streets and restore normalcy by Tuesday noon. Citing repeated violations of conditions, police refused to extend permission for the protest and formally asked Jarange’s group to leave the venue. The notice was issued to Amaran Uposhan, the body organizing the agitation, along with eight core members from Jarange’s native village in Jalna district.

Jarange, who is demanding Maratha inclusion in the OBC category for reservation, has drawn thousands of supporters to Mumbai in trucks and buses. While some vehicles were shifted to parking zones, many remained around CSMT and connecting roads.

The 43-year-old activist stopped taking water on Monday, though he later sipped some while addressing the media. Doctors from JJ Hospital have been monitoring his health. He accused Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of delaying a decision, saying the government could easily allow Marathas in Marathwada to be recognized as Kunbis and issue caste certificates through district collectors and tehsildars.

Meanwhile, sanitation workers from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been deployed in large numbers to keep Azad Maidan and nearby areas clean. The civic body has provided 400 toilets and distributed garbage bags, though officials say littering and disorder continue.

With Jarange’s fast intensifying and no resolution in sight, the stand-off over Maratha quota continues to disrupt Mumbai’s daily life.