Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 2: The five-day long agitation for Maratha quota reservation by the Maratha activist Manoj Jarange ended on Tuesday with the Maharashtra government accepting two of his key demands of considering Maratha community as “Kunbis,” a OBC category, and providing them reservation in education and government jobs.
Maratha community constituting about 30 per cent of the state’s population and wields considerable influence in the state.
Calling it a victory for the agitators, who have been protesting at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan for the past four days, Jarange said their primary demand of according Kunbi status – an OBC category – to the Maratha community from the Marathwada region had been accepted by the government. He said it was the “Diwali Day” for the agitators who have achieved their goal for which they were struggling for several years.
A GR (government resolution) for the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette in which Kunbi caste certificates would be distributed after verification was issued by the government later in the day. The Marathwada region was previously part of the Hyderabad State. The Hyderabad Gazette, issued by the erstwhile Nizam-era government, recognised many from the Maratha community as Kunbis and granted them reservations in education and jobs.
The Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil’s primary demand to implement the Hyderabad Gazette that identifies Marathas as belonging to the Kunbi peasant community, was agreed upon by the state government which also agreed to withdraw all cases filed against those protesting in demand for the reservation. Following a meeting with a cabinet sub-committee.
Mr Patil said once the government issued a resolution, his supporters would vacate Mumbai by 9 pm. Hours after the announcement, he ended his 5-day fast, saying, “We have won.” He was seen having water offered by Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil to end his hunger strike.
Mr Patil was on a hunger strike in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan to demand reservation in jobs and education for Marathas belonging to Marathwada and western Maharashtra region. The government has said it was taking proactive steps to address the reservation issue.
A cabinet sub-committee met Mr Patil at the protest site. Ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Manikrao Kokate, Shivendra Raje Bhosale were among the members of the sub-committee which was the first such communication between the state government and the quota agitation leader.
Mr Patil said the cabinet sub-committee agreed to implement the Hyderabad Gazette to fulfill the Maratha reservation demand. Mr Patil has been insisting on the Hyderabad Gazette because he considers it undeniable proof that Marathas in the Marathwada region were officially recorded as Kunbis, a peasant caste. This document helps him position the reservation not as a political move, but as a restoration of a historical identity. In Maharashtra, the Kunbi community enjoys reservation under the OBC category. For the Maratha reservation issue, the Hyderabad Gazette is relevant because the Marathwada region of present-day Maharashtra was part of the Hyderabad State. Addressing his supporters after the meeting with the ministers, Mr Patil said, “We won with your strength, today I understood the power of the poor.”
Earlier in the day Mr Patil came under fire from the Bombay High Court after thousands of his supporters disrupted normal life near Azad Maidan in Mumbai, where they were protesting in demand of reservation in jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota.
The bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe told Mr Patil’s lawyer that if normalcy on the streets was not restored by 3 pm, the judges would hit the streets. The bench also warned the Maratha leader of exemplary cost and contempt action if its orders are not heeded. By 3 pm, his supporters were seen heading to a spot in Navi Mumbai.
Mr Patil approached the High Court after Mumbai Police rejected his request to continue the agitation at Azad Maidan. The quota agitation leader has been on a hunger strike since August 29. During the hearing today, Mr Patil’s lawyer Satish Manshinde Patil apologised for the inconvenience caused by the protests. The bench replied that the details of all the vehicles part of the agitation must be provided. It also noted that it was not happy with the state government’s response.
The court asked Mr Patil why so many people turned up for the protests when permission was given only for a 5000-strong gathering. “When you came to know that over 60,000 people had come into the city, what steps did you take?” the bench asked, adding that it would also question the state government.
The court asked the quota agitation leader to ensure that Azad Maidan was vacated by 3 pm and warned of action if this was not done. When his lawyer sought more time, the court said it may also consider taking contempt action. People are scared, the court noted. “We want the city to return to normal. If it does not happen, we will go and see.”
The court also said Mr Patil and his supporters are “violators” and “have no right at all.” “They must leave immediately or we will take action. This is completely illegal. After 3 pm, we will not allow anyone there at Azad Maidan,” the bench said. Pulling up the state government, the court said the situation should not have reached this point. However, later in the day, the Bombay High Court allowed Jarange to stay at Azad Maidan till September 3 morning.
The judges also questioned the government on measures taken to implement the court’s August 26 order, including the use of loudspeaker announcements, ensuring citizens’ safety, and maintaining public order. The Bench sought data from hospitals, schools, and colleges on the impact of the agitation, noting that “considerable fear” had gripped residents, many of whom were unable to step out of their homes.
“We all have faced the difficulty. Judges faced difficulty to reach the court. We ask the State what steps have they taken in compliance of the court’s August 26 order. Have you made announcement on loudspeakers? Do you have evidence as video proof that you made the announcement? We will take all the necessary steps and impose strict law and we may proceed under the Contempt of Court Act. Why did it happen? Is it a conspiracy theory?” the Bench remarked. The court also criticised reports of protestors “dancing on the roads” even as the city faced disruptions.
Calling off the agitation, Mr Jarange said the government had also decided that compensation and government jobs would be given to the kin of those who lost their lives during the protests in a week. He said the cabinet sub-committee told him that legal options were being explored for issuing a GR stating that Kunbis and Marathas were the same community and the process might take two months. The cases against the participants in the agitation would be withdrawn by the end of the current month.
Jarange and around 4,000 protesters launched their agitation at Azad Maidan on August 29, causing massive congestion in south Mumbai. They demanded a 10% quota for the Maratha community in government jobs and education under the OBC category. In the morning, Azad Maidan saw a tense standoff between the protesters and police as efforts were made to vacate the site.
