The agitation of the Maratha quota, under the name of activist Manoj Jarange, has escalated with the fifth day of uninterrupted agitation in Mumbai on Tuesday, leading to an intervention of the high court in Bombay. During a special hearing, the court took an interest in the situation by noting that the city was in a literal state of paralysis as a result of the ongoing protests. The court ordered all the streets to be cleared by Tuesday noon and said that various pre-agitation conditions were violated.
As part of the order issued by the court, the Mumbai police sent a notice to Jarange requesting him to leave Azad Maidan at once. The court had also asked the Maharashtra government to make sure no other protesters are allowed to enter the city and urged the government to act according to the right legal procedures in handling the situation.
Jarange, the hunger striker who has been protesting over Marathi reservation, has become the focal point of it. Meanwhile, a warning was given by OBC minister Chhagan Bhujbal that members of the OBC communities would stage massive protests in case of their current reservation quota is interfered with in an effort to accommodate the Marathas.
The frenzy has also infiltrated strange scenes throughout Mumbai. Reports have it that near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), protesters organised themselves into groups and used the area as a makeshift sports facility where they played traditional sports, including kabaddi, kho kho, and even held wrestling contests. In another event, a few demonstrators were caught on camera wading into the dead-end of the tracks on the Harbour line, although they were soon cleared by the railway police, to avoid interfering with services.
To control the situation on the ground, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sent about 1,000 sanitation workers to Azad Maidan and around it to ensure cleanliness in the midst of the ever-growing protest crowds. The movement does not seem to have subsided even after police action and court orders, since Jarange is still on hunger strike.
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