Maratha Reservation: Jarange Patil's Hunger Strike Enters Sixth Day as Highways Blocked

Fast at Antarwali Sarati

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil began an indefinite hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district on August 29, 2026, marking his eleventh protest on the issue. The focus of the current agitation is implementation of reservation for Marathas under the Kunbi category, with Jarange Patil citing the Sandeep Shinde Committee report to claim that historical records link Marathas with Kunbis genealogically.

By September 4, the fast had entered its sixth day. Jalna District Collector Ashima Mittal visited the protest site on September 2 and appealed to Jarange Patil to end the strike, citing deteriorating health after a drop in blood sugar levels. Reports said Jarange Patil refused to withdraw, stating that the demands involved state-level decisions that could not be settled at the district level.

Highway blockades across Maharashtra

Supporters of the agitation staged rasta roko protests at multiple locations as the fast continued. On September 2, Maratha activists blocked the Dhule-Solapur National Highway at Wadigodri, disrupting vehicular movement along the stretch. Reports also described blockades on the Karad-Chiplun highway and the Jalna-Hingoli highway, with protesters sitting and lying on roads in support of the quota demands.

Two-hour road blockades were reported in Dharashiv, Beed, Jalna and Solapur districts, while a bandh was observed in Beed, Latur and Dharashiv on September 4. Police personnel were deployed at several sites to maintain order as long queues of vehicles formed on affected highways.

Government assurances and continuing demands

On September 3, BJP MLA Prasad Lad met Jarange Patil and offered him water, after which the activist was put on an intravenous drip. Reports quoted Jarange Patil as saying that drinking water did not mean an end to the agitation and that he would continue until a government resolution was issued and Kunbi certificate distribution began.

Lad told reporters that the process of issuing Kunbi certificates would begin from September 3 and that a delegation of concerned ministers would visit Antarwali Sarati. Jarange Patil, according to reports, gave the government two days to implement demands and threatened a large-scale march towards Mumbai if a formal government resolution was not issued.

The Kunbi certificate dispute

The Maratha reservation issue has centred on whether members of the community can obtain Kunbi caste certificates based on pre-Independence records, including the Hyderabad Gazette and the Satara District Gazetteer. Jarange Patil has claimed that these records contain approximately 58 lakh entries linking Marathas with Kunbis, while alleging that the government was cancelling issued certificates and preventing validation.

The state government has issued over 12 lakh Kunbi certificates across Maharashtra based on committee findings, but officials maintain that each applicant must establish lineage through verification. The gap between certificates issued and records identified remains at the heart of the continuing standoff between the activist and the Mahayuti government.