Maratha Quota Activist Manoj Jarange's Hunger Strike Enters Eighth Day Amid Rising Tensions

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's health worsened as he continued his hunger strike for the eighth day, demanding reservations for Marathas under the OBC category. Despite pleas from supporters and the presence of a medical team, he refuses fluids and medication. Authorities have increased security measures around the protest site.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's health took a turn for the worse on Tuesday as he entered the eighth day of his hunger strike, aimed at securing reservations for the Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Despite passionate appeals from members of the Maratha community gathered at the protest site in Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna, Jarange has steadfastly refused to take fluids or medication.

Jarange's indefinite hunger strike, which began on September 17, is his sixth such protest in over a year. Supporters have urged him to allow medical intervention, yet he remains resolute, rejecting both water and medicines. A medical team remains on standby, seeking permission to treat him, but Jarange has declined all assistance.

The activist's demands include the implementation of a draft notification designating the blood relatives of Marathas as Kunbis, based on historical documents from the Satara, Bombay, and Hyderabad gazetteers. His primary goal is for Marathas to be granted the OBC quota in government jobs and education.

In response to Jarange's deteriorating condition, authorities have ramped up security, deploying police personnel in and around the village. Antarwali Sarathi has become the focal point of the ongoing Maratha reservation movement, while OBC activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare stage a counter-protest in nearby Wadigodri village, opposing the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category.

(With inputs from agencies.)