Overview

• Activist Manoj Jarange Patil began an open-ended hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on 29 August with thousands arriving from across Maharashtra.
• Mumbai Police deployed more than 1,500 personnel at the ground and extended permission for the stage and sit-in through Saturday.
• Heavy turnout caused long jams at Vashi Bridge and Atal Setu and delays on the Eastern Freeway, Bandra–Worli Sea Link, Coastal Road and south Mumbai routes, with crowded local trains.
• The protest demands recognition of Marathas as Kunbi under the OBC category and a 10% reservation in government jobs and education.
• State leaders Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde reiterated a commitment to a legal solution that does not dilute OBC rights, as Uddhav Thackeray accused the government of failing past promises.