Mumbai Police have denied permission for Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange’s proposed indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan from September 19, citing security concerns, as Jarange said he would challenge the decision and continue his planned march towards the city.
Jarange, whose hunger strike had entered its 16th day on Sunday, alleged that the Maharashtra government was attempting to suppress his agitation. He described the police decision as “dictatorship” and “high-handedness”, according to the Press Trust of India report carried by Mid-Day. Jarange said his legal team would challenge the order.
The proposed agitation is scheduled during the Ganpati festival, which is set to be observed from September 14 to 25. Jarange has said that his march towards Mumbai will begin on September 15, followed by an indefinite hunger strike in the city from September 19. He rejected concerns that the protest could create law-and-order problems during the festival and said the agitation would remain peaceful and democratic.
An official cited in the report said permission for the hunger strike at Azad Maidan was denied because of security concerns. The police decision follows the Bombay High Court’s refusal to issue an urgent order seeking to stop Jarange’s proposed fresh protest in Mumbai. The court observed that people have a right to protest and that a restraining order could not be issued merely on the apprehension of possible law-and-order problems.
Jarange has referred to those observations while questioning the legal basis for the denial of permission. He said he respected the Constitution and the judiciary but would not accept what he called arbitrary government directives. He also said he would stop his medical treatment and fluid intake in protest against the decision.
Earlier on Sunday, Jarange alleged that there was a conspiracy to shoot him during the proposed march and claimed that people in power were planning to create trouble. These allegations were not independently established in the information available. He also alleged that some Maratha legislators from the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena were contacting supporters and asking them not to join the protest.
Jarange’s central demand is that the Maharashtra government issue a Government Resolution allowing eligible Marathas to claim reservation available to the Kunbi community under the Other Backward Classes category, based on historical records and gazette documents. He has claimed that 58 lakh Kunbi records have been identified. OBC organisations have opposed the demand, arguing that extending reservation benefits to Marathas could affect their existing share.
Jarange previously launched an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan on August 29 last year over the Maratha reservation issue. That protest disrupted parts of Mumbai before it was called off after the state government agreed to some of his demands. The next stated milestones are the proposed march from September 15 and the planned hunger strike from September 19, subject to the permission dispute and any legal challenge.
