Maratha activist's suicide sparks renewed demand for reservation

Following the reported suicide of a 45-year-old Maratha quota activist in Mumbai's Bandra early on Thursday, activist Manoj Jarange-Patil declared on Friday that he would not "step back an inch" until the Marathas received reservation. The activist had left behind a note urging community members to fight for the cause.

According to a police officer, Sunil Kawale, a resident of the Jalna district, was discovered hanging from flyover pole number 4 between Bandra and Bandra Kurla Complex.

A part of the Maratha Kranti Morcha was Kawale. It is said that he was an autorickshaw driver.

Days had passed before campaigner Jarange-Patil, of Jalna, set a deadline of October 24 for the Maharashtra government to award OBC classification to all Marathas. Since 2016, Jarange-Patil has been a well-known figure in the militant agitation that subsided when the Supreme Court declared the Maratha reservation to be illegal in 2021.

Speaking on Friday at a sizable gathering in the Pune district's Rajgurunagar, Jarange-Patil urged the locals to abstain from violence and other drastic measures like suicide. He stated that on Sunday, he will outline the agitation's next plan of action.

"Sunil Kawale, one of our brothers, took his own life yesterday in an attempt to meet his quota. Fifteen to sixteen members of the community have taken their own lives in the past month. 47 members of the community had committed suicide in the past. We will not let their efforts be in vain as a community," he declared.

This agitation was initiated on August 29. The struggle continues to this day. Nobody has the guts to put an end to this agitation anymore. I promise everyone that reservations will be acquired peacefully, and I won't back down until the community receives reservations," he continued.

Following the September 1 police baton charge on a Maratha gathering in Jalna, the quota campaign gained steam. There, Jarange-Patil had been fasting since August 29. Only after several police officers were suspended, accusations against the protestors were dropped, an investigation was launched, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed regret, and chief minister Eknath Shinde met with him did he decide to call it off on September 15.

Since then, Jarange-Patil has throughout the state to garner support for the cause. On October 14, he offered the Maharashtra government a 10-day ultimatum to find a way to give reservation.

Ashok Chavan, a member of the Congress Working Committee, wrote on X on Thursday, pleading with everyone to refrain from acting in such an aggressive manner. Marathas will need to struggle for their reservation through democracy; they cannot obtain a reservation by taking their own lives. Furthermore, I implore the federal and state governments to seriously consider the suicides of Maratha campaigners and to move swiftly to meet the demand for Maratha reservation.