Mumbai on High Alert as Maratha Quota Leader Manoj Jarange Begins Indefinite Fast

Security in Mumbai has been tightened as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange launches an indefinite fast at Azad Maidan on Friday (August 29).

More than 1,500 police personnel along with units of the CRPF, RAF, and CISF have been deployed, with authorities expecting over 20,000 protesters. Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satya Narayan and other senior officials inspected the protest site on Thursday evening.

Jarange, 43, left his native Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district on August 26 with thousands of supporters. On Thursday, he paid homage at Shivneri Fort, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, before heading to Mumbai.

The activist is demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis—an agrarian caste in the OBC category—making them eligible for reservations in jobs and education. He argues this is legally sustainable, unlike a separate Maratha quota, which he says would not survive court scrutiny.

Key developments:

• Authorities have restricted entry at Azad Maidan, which can hold only 5,000 people, and denied permission to three other groups seeking protests at the venue.

• Major roads including the Eastern Freeway, Sion-Panvel Highway, P D’Mello Road, and Dadabhai Naoroji Road will remain closed from 6 am Friday. Emergency services are exempt.

• Railway security has been tightened, with additional RPF and Maharashtra Security Force personnel deployed at CSMT.

• Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, while attending Ganeshotsav events, said the government was “positive about solving Maratha issues if they are social and financial in nature and not related to political reservation.”

Jarange rose to prominence during his September 2023 hunger strike in Jalna, which led to over eight lakh Kunbi certificates being issued to Marathas, granting them access to OBC benefits.

On Thursday, groups of Maratha protesters carrying saffron flags were seen marching from CSMT to Azad Maidan, setting the stage for what could be the community’s biggest show of strength in Mumbai.