Maratha Kranti Morcha

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Maratha Kranti Morcha
Maratha Kranti Morcha public nagar.jpg
Native name मराठा क्रांती मोर्चा
LocationWorldwide
Also known asमराठा क्रांती (मूक) मोर्चा
Organised by Maratha Community

The Maratha Kranti Morcha, loosely translated as "Maratha revolutionary demonstration" in the Marathi language, was a series of silent and pragmatic protests organized by the Maratha community in various cities across India, and in overseas diaspora communities. Other groups, such as Muslims and other religious minorities, also supported the Morcha. [1] The impetus for the rallies was the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village, Maharashtra, on 13 July 2016. [2] The protesters demanded the death sentence for the rapists. The Maratha caste dominate the power and cultural structure in Maharashtra due to the size of their population. [3]

Contents

The rallies featured no leaders and no slogans. Millions of people from across Maharashtra came together to protest, and initially no harm was done to any public or private property until January 2017, when a few instances of violence were noted. [4]

The demand for reservations in educational positions and government jobs were also a part of these protests. At the time, the Bombay High Court had recently upheld the reservations granted to the Maratha community, but also mentioned that the percentage of quotas given wasn't justifiable. [5] Later, the Supreme Court quashed the Maratha community reservations. [6] A large percentage of Marathis are farmers, and the community had been severely affected by droughts and degraded arable land. Due to the lack of reservations, unemployment had become a major problem in the Maratha community. Some castes within the Maratha community, known as Kunbi, did receive the benefits of reservations provided to the Other Backward Class category; however, most people were alleged to have lost their benefits.

2016 demands

Influencing factors

Judicial

Silent protests

The Maratha Kranti Morcha carried out its largest silent protest in the financial capital of India, Mumbai, on 9 August 2017. Around half a million members of the Maratha community from across the state gathered in Mumbai. The protest started from Jijamata Zoo Byculla and culminated at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Schools, junior colleges, and about 450 institutes in South Mumbai remained shut. Mumbai's famed Dabbawalas took the day off to participate in the morcha. [41]

During the silent protest, leaders from the Maratha community also warned that they would switch to violent tactics after two weeks if state authorities did not act on their demands. [42]

Hunger strike

2023

Manoj Jarange-Patil, a Maratha quota activist, has been a prominent figure in the Maratha Community's fight for reservation in Maharashtra. He is leading multiple agitations and protests, including dharna and hunger strikes. [43]

2025

Manoj Jarange-Patil demanded reservation for Marathas under the Other Backward Class category. Manoj Jarange-Patil started a hunger strike on 29 August 2025 10:00AM at Azad Maidan in the city of Mumbai to exert pressure on the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis. [44] [45] [46]

The government provisions were inadequate for basic sanitary facilities for protesters include an adequate supply of clean mobile toilets, regular cleaning and maintenance of these facilities, and provisions for clean drinking water. The essential sanitary facilities were inadequate at all protest sites. An adequate numbers of clean mobile toilets were not provided for all protesters, with a specific focus on the needs of women. The free access to clean drinking water was not provided for all protesters. The waste management system was not implement for regular collection and disposal of solid waste from all protest sites. The basic hygiene items such as bathroom sanitary soap and water was not provided to maintain personal hygiene at all protest sites. The Medical facilities and outreach services with doctors and health professionals was not provided to care and handle referrals. The mental health care and counselling teams was not deployed to support protesters. The climate protection tents or other shelters was not provided to protesters from extreme rainy weather. The street lights were not provided at protest site Azad Maidan Mumbai. [48]

The Government of Maharashtra rejected Maratha quota reservation under the Other Backward Class category as demanded by Manoj Jarange-Patil [51] [52] Manoj Jarange-Patil warned the Government of Maharashtra that it should not test the patience of the Maratha community. [53]

Violence

January 2017

Road blockades (chakka jams) were held on 31 January 2017 to gather momentum and mount pressure on the state government before the community’s silent rally scheduled in Mumbai on 6 March 2017.

31 January 2017 – Mumbai [55] and across Maharashtra [56]

July 2018

On 23 July 2018, a Maratha Kranti Morcha activist committed suicide; the protesters refuse to collect the body and demanded the resignation of Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Kakasaheb Shinde-Patil, aged 28 committed suicide by jumping into the Godavari River during agitations at the village of Kaygaon Toka in the Gangapur taluka of Aurangabad District. The protesters blamed the district administration for not deploying boats and lifeguards despite being forewarned about the agitations. [59]

On 24 July 2018, protests turned violent; protesters attacked police officers and torched buses, police vehicles, and private cars. [60]

25 July 2018 – Mumbai, [61] Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, Raigad

August 2018

Maratha groups announced a shutdown across Maharashtra on August Kranti Day 2018 to intensify agitation for reservations. August Kranti Day is celebrated annually on 9 August. The Marathas launched a non-cooperation movement against the Government of Maharashtra and the Government of India. The non-cooperation movement covers non-payment of taxes to government and local bodies until reservations are implemented. [77] [78]

Impacts

After continuously growing protests in each city and millions of people's participation in each Maratha Kranti Morcha, on 13 October 2016 the Government of Maharashtra took the decisions to: [79] and

As the Bombay high court had stayed the 16% reservation granted to Marathas in government jobs and educational positions on the grounds that the data used by the government was faulty, the Government of Maharashtra on 5 December 2016 filed a 2,800-page affidavit to justify the reservations for Marathas as legal and show that it did not violate constitutional provisions. The affidavit contained documents substantiating the claim that the community is socially and educationally backward. [80]

General Election 2024

The threat to the BJP’s hegemony is dire, as caste assertion threatens to break through the Hindutva patina. [81]

The impact of the Maratha agitation was such that two MPs from Shinde’s Shiv Sena – Hemant Patil and Hemant Godse – announced their resignation from the Lok Sabha in support of the protesters and their demand. BJP MPs openly extended his support to the Maratha community. [82] [83] [84]

In General Election, the Maratha reservation issue damaged the prospects of the BJP-led Maha Yuti thus reducing the overall number of the BJP and the NDA. [85]

Civic Elections Maharashtra 2025

The Maratha reservation issue is once again flaring up in Maharashtra this time in the run up for the mega local bodies elections in the state. [86] [87]

See also

References

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  2. ↑ "Girl brutally gangraped, body found in mutilated state". firstpost.com. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  3. ↑ "Silent Storm". thehindu.com. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "औरंगाबादेत चक्काजामला हिंसक वळण, आंदोलकांची पोलिसांवर दगडफेक" [Violent turn to Chakkajam in Aurangabad, protestors stabbed at police]. abpmajha.abplive.in (in Marathi). 31 January 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  5. ↑ Madhukalya, Anwesha (27 June 2019). "Maratha reservation: Bombay High Court upholds quota but says 16% not justified". India Today. Business Today. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Rajagopal, Krishnadas (5 May 2021). "Supreme Court declares Maratha quota law unconstitutional". The Hindu.
  7. ↑ "अपंग मुलीवर बलात्कार करून अॅट्रॉसिटीची धमकी". सकाळ (in Marathi). 29 September 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Police File Charge Sheet in Kopardi Gangrape-Murder Case". NDTV.com. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Trial in Kopardi rape and murder case begins". PTI News. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Kopardi rape and murder case: 3 convicts get death sentence". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Press Trust of India. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  11. ↑ "Kopardi rape and murder case: 3 convicts get death sentence". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  12. ↑ "Kopardi case: Three get death for India teen's rape and murder". bbc.com. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  13. ↑ Shelke, Gitesh (10 September 2023). "Kopardi rape and murder case convict found dead inside Pune's Yerawada Jail". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  14. ↑ Maratha kranti morcha, Aurangabad on YouTube
  15. ↑ शेळके, गोविंद (8 August 2016). "बीडमध्ये मराठा समाजाचा विराट मोर्चा". ABP माझा (in Marathi). Retrieved 19 October 2016.
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  43. ↑ Bende, Anurag (1 November 2023). "Who is Manoj Jarange, man in Maratha quota spotlight". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  44. ↑ Ozarkar, Vallabh (29 August 2025). "Mumbai Maratha Quota Protest Live: 'Govt must immediately hold dialogue' says Uddhav Thackeray as Manoj Jarange begins his indefinite hunger strike". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
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  81. ↑ "4.27 Reasons Why the BJP is Panicky About Caste Consciousness". The Wire. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
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  85. ↑ Mrityunjay, Bose (25 August 2025). "Maharashtra stares at another Jarange stir over Maratha quota ahead of local body polls". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
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