BB Desk
Manoj Jarange Patil, a long time Maratha reservation activist marched towards Mumbai to sit on an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan along with 40,000 odd protestors. Patil began his fast on 29 August at around 10 am demanding Marathas be classified as OBC’s through the Kunbi Certificates.
Massive gathering of Patil’s supporters at Azad Maidan and nearby areas including CSMT, Fort, Churchgate, Mantralaya etc led to severe traffic gridlock in South Mumbai bringing the city that runs at a fast pace to a standstill. The chaos on streets, traffic congestion, and productivity loss forced the Bombay High Court to intervene. Court gave Patil and his supporters an ultimatum to vacate Azad Maidan or face legal consequences.
However, Patil remained adamant that he will not leave until his demands are met. Finally on fifth day of Patil’s hunger strike, the state government issued a resolution accepting six of Patil’s eight demands. Patil broke his fast by drinking a glass of fruit juice and called off the stir declaring victory.
List of Patil’s Demands:
- A 10% quota in education and government jobs for Marathas under the OBC category.
- Kunbi Certificates for all Marathas regardless of sub-castes or region allowing them to access OBC reservations.
- Removal of eligibility conditions like lineage proof and historical documents that’s demanded by the existing Government Resolution (GR).
- Recognition of the Satara Gazetteer and also Hyderabad Gazetteer which categorizes Marathas as Kunbis in Marathwada—as key proof to validate and issue Kunbi certificates.
- ‘Sage‑Soyare’ – the extended relatives should also be included and issued the Kunbi Certificates.
- Withdrawal of all cases filed against Maratha protestors in earlier agitation phases.
- Compensation and state jobs to the kin of deceased protestors.
- Free education for Marathas from kindergarten to postgraduate levels, until reservation is fully implemented.
The State has Agreed On:
- Instant Implementation of the Hyderabad Gazetteer and implementation of Satara Gazetteer within 15 days after review.
- Withdrawal of cases against the Maratha Protestors before 30th September.
- Awarding Compensation to kin of protestors killed during protests including government job for one family member.
- Displaying 58 lakh Kunbi records in the gram panchayat offices to facilitate people to apply for the quota.
- Completion of the audit of the caste certificates by the district administration within 90 days.
- Two-months time to declare Kunbis and Marathas as one community.
Complete Chronology of the Maratha Agitation at Azad Maidan:
August 27, 2025: Manoj Jarange Patil begins his March towards Mumbai from Antarwali Sarati along with 40,000 protestors in tow.
August 28, 2025: Mumbai Police deploys over 1,500 officers, including railway police in and around Azad Maidan and CSMT in preparation for the protest.
August 29, 2025: Jarange arrives at Azad Maidan and begins his indefinite hunger strike at 10:00 am, demanding Marathas be issued Kunbi certificates under the OBC category. Protest triggers major traffic disruptions near CSMT.
August 30–31, 2025: Protest enters its 2nd and 3rd days with Jarange’s supporters thronging the streets, restricting traffic movement, and bringing the city to a halt. South Mumbai suffers around 30 to 40 % productivity loss. But government remains unresponsive. Jarange warns authorities to not test the Maratha community’s patience.
September 1, 2025: On 4th day of the hunger strike, Jarange refuses to drink even water, signalling the escalation of the protest. Police serves notices to the protesters citing overcrowding and rule violations asking them to vacate Azad Maidan.
September 2, 2025: The 5th day of the strike brings major response. A cabinet sub‑committee comprising Ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Manikrao Kokate, and Shivendra Raje Bhosal meets Jarange at the protest site and agrees to implement Hyderabad Gazette criteria granting Marathas the Kunbi status. Bombay High court issues ultimatum to Jarange and his supporters to vacate protest site or face contempt action, fines, and potential eviction. Despite the court order, Jarange declares victory announcing “We have won”.
September 3, 2025: Government issues Resolution (GR) agreeing to grant Kunbi Caste certificates to eligible marathas allowing them to access reservation under the OBC category. Jarange ends his hunger strike by drinking fruit juice marking the end of the agitation. Streets began clearing—around 30,000 protesters disperse peacefully, traffic resumes, and BMC carries out extensive cleanup of Azad Maidan and surrounding areas.
Meanwhile Patil has warned, in case of betrayal as far as quota commitments are concerned, the ruling parties will suffer electoral backlash.
