Mumbai : Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil ends fast after government accepts demands

Mumbai (Odisha Tazanews) Mumbai :-> Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil ended his indefinite fast on Tuesday evening, the fifth day of his agitation at Azad Maidan, after Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil handed him a copy of the government resolution (GR) accepting his demands.

Jarange broke his fast by sipping juice offered by Vikhe-Patil in the presence of cabinet sub-committee members, while his supporters erupted in cheers. He was later taken to a hospital for a medical checkup.

Celebrations had already begun across key areas of Mumbai after Jarange declared “we’ve won” a couple of hours earlier, following talks with three state ministers who met him amid a Bombay High Court deadline to vacate Azad Maidan by 3 pm.

Government’s concessions The GR promises implem entation of the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes, under which Marathas in Marathwada would be recognised as Kunbis — a peasant sub-caste within the Maratha community — thereby granting them Other Backward Class (OBC) status and access to reservation benefits.

The resolution also confirms implementation of the “Sage Soyare” notification, enabling inclusion of blood and marital relatives under the Kunbi category. Additionally, the government assured withdrawal of cases against Maratha protesters by the end of

September and compensation to families of those who lost their lives during the agitation. Jarange had earlier said he would end his hunger strike only after receiving the formal GR. “We will leave Mumbai by 9 pm if the Maharashtra government issues GRs,” he said.