Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange plans to leave Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district on September 15 and begin an indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan at 10 am on September 19, The Federal reported. He announced the march on September 12 at his village, where his current protest is under way. His arrival falls on Gauri-Ganpati visarjan, a day when Mumbai Police already run long traffic diversions and crowd control across the city.
The Bombay High Court declined to stop him the same day. A bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna heard a plea by Mumbai resident Nilesh Dhanukar seeking prohibitory orders, and held that it could not curb the right to agitate on apprehension alone, according to LiveLaw. The court issued notice to the state and asked it to arrange medical care for Jarange. The Advocate General told the bench the government has not granted permission for the protest.
The route and the dates
The marchers plan to cover about 100 km a day, with one halt each night:
- September 15: Patoda, Beed district
- September 16: Shrigonda, Ahilyanagar district
- September 17: Hadapsar, Pune
- September 18: Khopoli, Raigad, followed by a camp at Kopar Khairane in Navi Mumbai
- September 19, 10 am: Azad Maidan, south Mumbai
Last year’s stir and its settlement
Jarange has done this before. In late August 2025 he led thousands of supporters into south Mumbai for a five-day fast at Azad Maidan. Supporters filled the roads around the maidan and CSMT, and the High Court ended up criticising the authorities for failing to clear the blockages. The fast ended on September 2, 2025, after the government agreed to implement the Hyderabad Gazetteer, which lets Marathas with historical Kunbi records seek OBC certificates, India TV reported at the time.
This time Jarange wants a government resolution allowing Marathas to claim OBC reservation through Kunbi lineage, drawing on old records, gazettes and about 58 lakh Kunbi entries, National Herald reported. OBC groups oppose the demand and argue it would shrink their share of the quota.
Ministers have objected to the timing. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a protest during Ganeshotsav went against the values of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule asked groups to avoid agitations during the festival, citing law-and-order concerns, the Free Press Journal reported. Jarange replied that a democratic government should not put hurdles before a peaceful protest.
What it means for commuters
As of September 13, the police had not issued a traffic advisory for the march. Going by the route and last year’s experience, expect pressure at these points:
- Hadapsar, Pune, September 17. The halt sits on the Pune-Solapur highway on the fourth day of Ganeshotsav, when evening crowds at pandals slow the eastern suburbs.
- Khopoli and the ghat, September 18. The march reaches the foot of the Bor ghat on the Mumbai-Pune corridor before heading down to Navi Mumbai.
- Navi Mumbai, September 18-19. Kopar Khairane lies along Thane-Belapur Road. The shortest road route into Mumbai from there crosses the Vashi creek bridge onto the Sion-Panvel highway.
- South Mumbai, from September 19. Azad Maidan sits beside CSMT and opposite the BMC headquarters. On visarjan day the police also divert traffic on roads leading to Girgaon Chowpatty, about 3 km away.
If you commute to Fort, Churchgate or CSMT, plan for crowded roads and platforms from the morning of September 19 and check Mumbai Traffic Police and railway updates before you leave. Offices in the area would do well to settle work-from-home plans early. Last year’s stir ran five days, and an indefinite fast has no fixed end date.
The next six days
Mumbai Police must decide whether to allow the Azad Maidan protest, and on what terms, for a day when visarjan duty already stretches the force. The state owes the High Court a reply to the notice, and the petitioners can return to court if roads get blocked. The government can also try to settle the demand before the marchers reach the city. In 2025 it issued its resolution only after Jarange had spent five days at Azad Maidan.
Sources: The Federal, LiveLaw, Free Press Journal, National Herald, India TV
This report was compiled and written with AI assistance from publicly reported sources, and reviewed for accuracy.