Activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday announced that he and his supporters would start an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai from September 19 for Maratha quota in jobs and education, the stir coming amid the heavily-patronised Ganpati festivities from September 14 to 25.
On Friday, the Bombay High Court refused to pass any urgent order on a petition seeking to stop his fresh protest in the state capital. “We have to continue the agitation peacefully until we return from Mumbai with reservation for our community. No one should resort to stone-pelting or arson. Vehicles should be driven properly and everyone should follow the code of conduct. “Fadnavis should not stop the Maratha community and I believe he will not do that. If police try to stop us with barricades, agitators should stop there and sit on the roads but should not touch the barricades. Among Jarange’s main demands is that a Government Resolution (GR) be issued allowing Marathas to claim reservation available to the Kunbi community in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) segment on the back of old records and gazette documents.
We want to protest through democratic means and secure our rightful demand,” Jarange said. They should find an alternative route and reach the agitation site,” Jarange said. The court said every person has the right to protest and no restraining order can be issued merely on the apprehension of law and order trouble.
