Jalna: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's health deteriorated on Tuesday as he entered the eighth day of his hunger strike to press for reservations for the Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. He has refused to take fluids or medication despite appeals from members of the Maratha community gathered at the protest site in Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna.
Jarange launched the indefinite hunger strike on September 17, his sixth in over a year. His supporters have urged him to allow medical intervention, but he remains resolute, refusing water and medicines. A medical team is on standby at the site, requesting permission to treat him, but Jarange has declined all assistance.
The activist has been demanding the implementation of the draft notification declaring blood relatives of Marathas as Kunbis based on historical documents from the Satara, Bombay, and Hyderabad gazetteers. His main demand is the grant of the OBC quota to Marathas in government jobs and education.
In light of Jarange's deteriorating health, the authorities have increased security, deploying police personnel around the village and surrounding areas. Antarwali Sarathi has become the epicentre of the ongoing Maratha reservation movement. OBC activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare are staging a counter-protest at Wadigodri village, 2 km from Antarwali Sarathi, to oppose the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category.
