Senior cop meets Maharashtra minister ahead of HC hearing on Maratha quota issue

Mumbai: Maharashtra Special IG Manojkumar Sharma on Tuesday met cabinet minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, as activist Manoj Jarange's protest for quota entered its fifth day.

The meeting assumed significance as the Bombay High Court is scheduled to hear later in the day a petition concerning the ongoing agitation at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

Sharma, who is the Special Inspector General of Police (law and order), visited Vikhe Patil at his official residence here, sources said, without elaborating.

Jarange has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan from August 29, demanding the Maratha community members be recognised as Kunbis, a categorisation that would enable them to avail benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota.

He has also pressed for the inclusion of references from the Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers to substantiate the community's claim.

Jarange has asserted that he will not leave Mumbai till the demands are met, even as the police issued a notice to him and his team, asking them to vacate Azad Maidan.

On Monday, the Bombay High Court, while hearing a plea related to the agitation, noted that the city was "literally paralysed" due to the stir, which it said had violated all stipulated conditions.

The court said it was giving an opportunity to Jarange and his supporters to ensure that all streets were vacated and cleaned by Tuesday noon.

Jarange's announcement of a fast unto death amounted to a "clear threat", the court observed, questioning why the government had not yet acted to clear the roads.

Jarange has been at the forefront of the Maratha quota agitation since a couple of years. He had earlier launched a fast-unto-death at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, demanding Kunbi certificates for Marathas.

The government has formed a sub-committee under Vikhe Patil to examine the issue and held multiple rounds of talks with Jarange.

However, the activist has remained firm on his stand that all Marathas be given Kunbi status, which would ensure their inclusion in the OBC quota without legal hurdles.

Last year, the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed a bill granting 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community under a separate category. Jarange, however, rejected the legislation, arguing it would not stand judicial scrutiny and reiterated his demand for OBC quota benefits.

The agitation has frequently disrupted normal life in different parts of the state, with large gatherings and road blockades reported during previous phases of the protest.