Bombay HC orders Maratha activist Manoj Jarange to clear roads
The Bombay High Court got tough on activist Manoj Jarange Patil and his supporters for the Maratha reservation agitation at Azad Maidan which brought the traffic moment to a grinding halt on Monday. Even the public movement got hindered.
Reportedly, Manoj was putting pressure for a 10 per cent quota and declared that he would not leave Mumbai till such time the demand is met. On Monday, roads in different parts of the city witnessed traffic chaos. In view of the situation, the court ordered Jarange and his supporters to vacate all roads on Tuesday.
Protesters numbering thousands thronged south Mumbai, paralysing key routes around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Fort, Churchgate, and Mantralaya.
Vehicular movement got completely halted on Dr DN Road from CSMT to Crawford Market, with only diversions available via JJ Bridge.
Also, Mahapalika Marg near Dhobi Talao Metro Junction was shut in both directions, cutting off access to the BMC headquarters, Esplanade Court and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) subway.
The stretch between Metro Junction and Bombay Gymkhana saw traffic restricted to a single lane towards Fashion Street and the VSNL building, causing massive jams.
Additional closures included Hazarimal Somlani Marg from VSNL Junction to CSMT, the road leading to Flora Fountain, and lanes around the Bombay High Court.
Protesters also blocked the Marine Drive promenade, Air India Building to Mantralaya stretch, and all roads leading to the Vidhan Bhavan.
By Sunday evening, the CSMT junction and adjoining arteries were gridlocked, while the Eastern Freeway too was shut, forcing commuters onto overcrowded alternate routes.
The Bombay High Court taking cognisance of the current situation, got tough on Jarange and his supporters for disrupting city life, ordering them to restore normalcy and ensure all Mumbai streets are vacated by Tuesday.
The High Court said that no more than 5,000 protesters can stay at the protest site, while everyone else should leave by noon on Tuesday.
The court will hold a further hearing into the matter at 3 pm tomorrow to see whether its orders have been complied with or not.
The agitation, which kicked-off on August 27,has intensified since August 29 when Jarange launched an indefinite fast demanding that Marathas be recognised as Kunbis and granted reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
He insists that government records already list 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis and has vowed not to leave Mumbai until a 10 per cent quota is implemented.
It was on Sunday, that he declared he would stop taking water in protest against the government’s delay.
Police estimate that more than 45,000 agitators reached the city on Friday alone, many arriving in convoys of nearly 8,000 vehicles. With Azad Maidan unable to contain the swelling crowds, saffron-scarved protesters have spilt onto adjoining roads, effectively converting south Mumbai into a vast sit-in site.
The agitation has triggered sharp political exchanges. Jarange rejected the government’s appointment of retired judge Sandeep Shinde to lead talks, saying only a formal resolution could address the demand.
Even as CM Devendra Fadnavis’s cabinet is exploring legal options, opposition leaders have blamed successive governments for failing to resolve the decades-old demand.
In the interim, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) deployed sanitation staff, water tankers, mobile toilets and medical teams to manage the protest camp.
With traffic chaos deepening and negotiations stalled, Jarange has termed the agitation the Maratha community’s “final fight” for reservation rights.
News Edit KV Raman
