Mumbai Police have denied permission to Manoj Jarange-Patil for an indefinite hunger strike in the city over the Maratha reservation demand.
Police cited public-safety and law-and-order concerns, including the ongoing Ganeshotsav celebrations and potential disruption to essential services.
Jarange-Patil has refused to back down, while his team plans to challenge the restrictions and says the Mumbai protest will remain peaceful.
Mumbai Police have denied permission to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to march into the city and hold an indefinite hunger strike from September 19, citing security and public-safety concerns during the ongoing Ganeshotsav celebrations. Jarange-Patil, however, has refused to back down, saying his planned agitation in Mumbai will go ahead peacefully.
“We will go to Mumbai and this is final. But we will remain peaceful,” Jarange-Patil said after the police denial.
His team has also filed a fresh application seeking permission, assuring authorities that protesters will follow all conditions and regulations imposed for the agitation.
Jarange-Patil had announced on Saturday that he would begin his march from Jalna on September 15 and reach Mumbai, where he plans to stay at Azad Maidan from September 19 until the government accepts his demand for reservation for the Maratha community under the Kunbi category.
Senior Police Inspector Raju Bidkar of Azad Maidan Police Station said permission for the indefinite hunger strike was denied because the proposed protest could disrupt normal life, particularly in South Mumbai. Police cited possible disruption to schools, hospitals, courts, public transport and healthcare services, warning that this could trigger a serious law-and-order situation.
The police also referred to the Supreme Court’s judgment in Amit Sahni versus Commissioner of Police, which dealt with the Shaheen Bagh protests. The judgment held that while peaceful protest is protected, public roads and spaces cannot be occupied indefinitely in a way that causes serious public inconvenience.
Police further pointed to Ganeshotsav celebrations in Mumbai beginning September 14. They said the festival would require extensive deployment of personnel and that a protest amid large crowds could create additional public-safety challenges.
Activists Plan Bombay HC Challenge
Jarange-Patil questioned the police’s reliance on the Supreme Court judgment, asking why a similar protest was allowed at Azad Maidan during the same period last year.
Maratha activist and agitation coordinator Virendra Pawar said the group would challenge the restrictions imposed by Mumbai Police before the Bombay High Court.
“The police have designated Azad Maidan as the only place for holding agitation. On top of that, they also imposed a long list of conditions for holding a protest, which is unfair to those facing injustice and wanting to fight for their rights,” Pawar told HT.
The latest standoff comes as Jarange-Patil prepares to lead another major mobilisation over the demand for Maratha reservation under the Kunbi category, with the proposed march set to begin from Jalna on September 15.
