Overview

• Mumbai Police approved a fresh application for Saturday’s protest at Azad Maidan after Friday’s permit ended at 6 pm.
• Manoj Jarange Patil began an indefinite hunger strike on Friday morning and vowed not to leave until the demand is accepted.
• Permission carried strict terms—9 am to 6 pm timing, a 5,000-person cap, and only five vehicles—backed by over 1,500 police with CRPF, RAF, CISF and MSF support.
• Turnout far exceeded the cap, with police expecting about 40,000 participants, prompting closures of the Eastern Freeway and other routes, crowding at CSMT and curtailed bus services.
• The state offered dialogue but said OBC entitlements would be protected, as earlier quota measures—a 2018 SEBC law struck down by the Supreme Court and a 2024 10% law now contested—limit options.