Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has announced an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan, Mumbai starting September 19, demanding Kunbi caste certificates for eligible members of the Maratha community. This protest follows a previous hunger strike in 2025 that led to a government resolution.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has announced that he and his supporters will commence an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan, Mumbai from September 19. The protest is aimed at securing Kunbi caste certificates for eligible members of the Maratha community who belong to a sub-caste within the Maratha community classified as Other Backward Classes.
The activist has been on an indefinite hunger strike since August 29, 2022 in Jalna district to demand these certificates. Jarange-Patil announced his march to Mumbai on the same day that the Bombay High Court refused to issue an order against it, as reported by The Hindu.
The activist had previously launched an indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai in 2025, which continued for four days before the Maharashtra administration issued a government resolution to grant Kunbi status to Marathas of Marathwada. However, Jarange-Patil claims that assurances given by the state government in September 2021 and again during his protest in May 2022 have not been honored.
Jarange-Patil expressed that the state government 'can still come to Antarwali for talks before we begin our march, or meet us on the way to Mumbai' or hold discussions with him at Azad Maidan and address the pending demands that have persisted for three years.
The Maratha community's demand for reservations in education and government jobs resurfaced in 2023, resulting in protests led by Jarange-Patil. The movement was marked by violence, suicides, and legislators resigning.
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