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Jarange’s strikes have shut Mumbai before — the Bombay High Court once said the city was ‘practically at a standstill’. His eighth strike begins May 30. Does Mumbai have a Plan B?
Curfew, arson, vandalism — Jarange’s 2023 agitation pushed Maharashtra to the brink of large-scale civil unrest. (File photo: PTI)
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has announced he will restart his indefinite hunger strike on May 30 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna, accusing the Maharashtra government of failing to fulfil promises on OBC certificates for the Maratha community. A government sub-committee is scrambling to stop him — but Jarange is not backing down.
This is not the first time. And every time Jarange has gone on strike, the government has eventually blinked — or Mumbai has paid the price.
Who Exactly Is Manoj Jarange?
A 43-year-old man who came from a humble farming background, worked in a hotel and a sugar factory before becoming the undisputed face of the Maratha reservation agitation. He sold off his own land to fund the protests and marches he organised demanding reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education.
Why Does A Class 12 Dropout Command Such Power?
Manoj Jarange Patil hails from Matori village in Beed district. He is a Class 12 dropout and comes from a farming background. Yet he built his own outfit — Shivba Sanghatana — to organise marches and protests for Maratha reservation.
The Maratha community makes up roughly 30 percent of Maharashtra’s population, which makes him one of the most politically consequential voices in the state.
When Did All This Begin?
When he started his indefinite hunger strike to demand quota for Marathas in his Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district on August 29, 2023, it largely went unnoticed. Everything changed in a matter of three days after violence broke out on September 1, when local authorities forcibly tried to admit Jarange to a hospital.
What Happened When Things Turned Violent?
The Maratha quota agitation turned violent at several places across the state, with protesters vandalising the houses of politicians from ruling parties in different parts of Maharashtra.
A curfew was imposed in Dharashiv district and parts of Beed district after large-scale violence and arson. Protesters also burnt tyres on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway, paralysing traffic on one of India’s busiest road corridors.
Has He Actually Brought Mumbai To A Standstill?
Yes — more than once. Jarange stormed into Mumbai with thousands of supporters in August 2025, bringing large parts of the country’s financial capital to a near standstill for two consecutive days.
Protesters blocked the square near CSMT and the BMC headquarters — routes that connect to the Gateway of India, Mantralaya, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate and the Western Naval Command headquarters.
What Did The Bombay High Court Say?
The Bombay High Court observed that the situation had “gone out of hands” and said Mumbai had been “practically brought to a standstill.” The court asked the Maharashtra government to clear protesters from the city’s streets and restore normalcy.
Has The Government Ever Given In?
Yes. In January 2024, then CM Eknath Shinde met Jarange in Vashi before his march reached Mumbai and agreed to his demands. Jarange ended the strike after the government announced a draft ordinance on OBC reservations in education and jobs.
In February 2024, the community was granted a 10 per cent quota under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class Act. But a petition challenging that quota is still pending before the Supreme Court.
So Why Is He Striking Again?
According to Mid-dayJarange is alleging that CM Devendra Fadnavis has failed to keep promises on distributing OBC certificates to eligible Maratha community members, claiming the government is deliberately going slow. “We have given enough time to the government. Now we are left with no choice,” he said, adding that the government does not understand the pain of the Marathas.
What Makes This Round Different?
This is at least his seventh hunger strike since 2023. A government sub-committee headed by minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil met him on May 29 to persuade him to stand down. Jarange, however, decided to launch the agitation from Saturday after over two-hours talks with the government failed.
Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/those-in-power-taking-cruel-agnipariksha-manoj-jarange-to-launch-fast-unto-death-after-talks-with-maharashtra-govt-fail-4020894
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde has urged restraint. But Jarange has shown before that once he sets out from Antarwali Sarati, the government’s options narrow very quickly.
What Happens Next — and Why Maharashtra Cannot Afford to Look Away
The two-hour talks on May 29 have failed. Jarange walked out and the indefinite agitation is now on. With the Fadnavis government already under pressure and Jarange calling this a “cruel trial by fire” for the Maratha community, the question is no longer whether this escalates — it is how fast. If past strikes are any guide, Mumbai’s commute, South Maharashtra’s roads, and the state government’s political standing are all on the line.
Should Mumbai Residents Be Worried? History Says — Very Much Yes
This strike begins in Jalna, not Mumbai. But history shows it rarely stays there. The last time Jarange brought his agitation to Mumbai, it slowed traffic across Azad Maidan and around CSMT, disrupting local train operations and BEST bus services.
Traffic police shut all roads leading to CSMT and the BMC headquarters. Those roads connect directly to the Gateway of India, Mantralaya, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate and the Western Naval Command headquarters — the nerve centre of South Mumbai’s daily life.
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