The Mumbai Police on Tuesday revoked permission for the Maratha reservation agitation at Azad Maidan, citing violation of the conditions laid out by the Bombay High Court, and asked the protesters to vacate the venue immediately.
Thousands of protesters had gathered at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, where Maratha quota leader and activist Manoj Jarange’s indefinite hunger strike entered the fifth day on Tuesday.
Jarange has been demanding inclusion of Marathas in the Other Backwards Classes (OBC) category for reservation benefits.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil's hunger strike at Azad Maidan enters the fifth day. Visuals from the spot as the activist and his supporters continue to remain here.
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2025
Mumbai Police say that the permission to hold a protest has been… pic.twitter.com/uDenkPyJkI
In its notice issued to the activist and his committee, the police noted that though the permission was granted earlier for a gathering of 5,000 protesters at Azad Maidan, more than 40,000 agitators arrived from various parts of Maharashtra.
The protesters blocked roads in south Mumbai over the last few days by gathering in large numbers and also parked more than 5,000 vehicles on roads connecting to the Azad Maidan and nearby areas, which led to heavy traffic congestion, it said.
The notice also alleged that the protesters cooked food on roads, took bath, danced and played cricket in the public areas.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: On Mumbai Police's notice to Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil, his lawyer Ashish Gaikwad says, "...The notice states that a few rules have been violated. We are going to present before the Court whether there has indeed been a… pic.twitter.com/MTYPBfXsZm
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2025
On Monday, the Bombay High Court asked his supporters to vacate all streets in the city by Tuesday noon and restore normalcy. The court observed that all pre-agitation conditions had been violated and asked protesters to stay within the confines of the designated area for the stir.
A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad said since the protesters do not have valid permission to continue the stir, it expects the Maharashtra government to follow the due procedure laid down in law by initiating appropriate steps.
"We are giving Jarange and his supporters an opportunity to rectify the situation immediately and ensure the streets are vacated and cleaned up by Tuesday noon," the court said.
Jarange has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas in government jobs and education. He wants Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis, an agrarian caste included in the OBC category, which will make them eligible for reservation.
