Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil said he would not be intimidated by government inquiries against him or his associates. File
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
Mumbai Police on Sunday (September 13, 2026) denied Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil permission to hold an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan from September 19, even as he alleged that there was a conspiracy to have him shot during his planned march to the capital city.
“There is a conspiracy to shoot me during the Mumbai march. They do not want to kill Marathas, but want to target me,” Mr. Jarange alleged while speaking at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district as his hunger strike entered the 16th day.
“I will accept death, but I will not surrender,” he said. There is so far no independently verified evidence to substantiate the alleged assassination plot.
Mr. Jarange-Patil plans to continue the protest at Antarwali Sarati until September 15, when he and his supporters are scheduled to begin their march towards Mumbai. The mobilisation is intended to culminate in an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan from September 19 as part of his renewed agitation for Maratha quota in jobs and education.
Why Mumbai Police has refused permission
However, Azad Maidan Police on Sunday (September 13, 2026) refused permission for the proposed indefinite protest.
Police cited restrictions governing demonstrations at Azad Maidan, including rules prohibiting indefinite hunger strikes, limits on the duration and size of gatherings and the possibility of traffic and public-order disruptions.
They also referred to problems during previous demonstrations, when movement around south Mumbai, including the CSMT area, was affected, and said the Ganeshotsav period would already place substantial demands on the city’s police force.
Reacting to the decision, Mr. Jarange-Patil questioned how the authorities could presume that protesters would violate conditions before the agitation had even begun. “Why do they think we are going to violate the rules even before the agitation begins? Under what law are you running the state?” he said.
He also questioned whether Ganeshotsav processions would be stopped on similar grounds and maintained that the agitation in Mumbai would proceed through peaceful and democratic means.
He also escalated his ongoing hunger strike on Sunday (September 13, 2026), announcing that he would stop taking water, saline and medical treatment. “From today, saline, water and treatment — everything is stopped,” Mr. Jarange-Patil said, as he hardened his position following the police refusal.
The police decision comes two days after the Bombay High Court declined to issue pre-emptive directions stopping Mr. Jarange-Patil’s proposed march to Mumbai.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait M Sethna on Friday (September 11, 2026) refused to restrain the march merely on the basis of apprehensions that it could lead to law-and-order problems.
“Merely on the basis of an apprehension in a petition, we are not going to take such a call. State machinery is capable to handle all these situations,” the bench observed. The court also noted that the right to protest is protected in a democracy and expressed confidence that Mr. Jarange would act as a law-abiding citizen.
Referring to the court’s observations while reacting to the police decision, Mr. Jarange-Patil questioned why his movement was being stopped when the High Court itself had declined to prohibit the march.
Allegations of attempting to weaken agitation
Mr. Jarange-Patil also accused the State government of attempting to weaken the agitation and alleged that efforts were being made to create trouble during the Mumbai mobilisation. He claimed that people associated with ruling parties could be sent into the march to provoke violence and create a law-and-order situation. The allegations have not been independently established.
Despite those allegations, the activist has repeatedly instructed his supporters to keep the mobilisation peaceful and avoid stone-pelting, arson or other violence. He has said that if police barricades prevent protesters from advancing, supporters should sit peacefully at the spot rather than attempt to force their way through.
The renewed agitation centres on Mr. Jarange’s demand that eligible members of the Maratha community be issued Kunbi caste certificates based on historical and gazette records, allowing them to access reservation benefits available to Kunbis under the Other Backward Classes category.
Published – September 13, 2026 04:55 pm IST
