Mumbai, Sep 1 (PTI) Doctors checked the health of activist Manoj Jarange, who stopped drinking water on Monday as his hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai over the Maratha quota demand entered the fourth day.
Hundreds of Maratha community members seeking quota gathered at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and other areas in south Mumbai, causing traffic congestion and inconvenience to commuters.
The police diverted traffic heading towards CSMT area, while the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking also suspended, diverted or curtailed buses on all routes leading to CSMT, according to officials.
With the deadlock continuing, Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the government was working on a solution to the Maratha quota issue which will stand in the court of law.
Jarange stopped drinking water on Monday, his supporters claimed, reaffirming his vow that he would not budge till the government fulfils his demand for a 10 per cent quota to the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
A team of doctors from the state-run JJ Hospital went to Azad Maidan and checked Jarange’s blood pressure and sugar levels.
At CSMT located nearby, a large number of protesters was seen dancing and raising slogans in support of the quota demand, leading to overcrowding at the railway station.
Scores of agitators also gathered on the road heading towards Mahapalika Marg, J J Marg and D N Road, bringing traffic to a standstill for sometime.
There was heavy police deployment in the Azad Maidan area, but the protesters were seen not following the security personnel’s instructions.
Some groups of protesters tried to enter the Bombay Stock Exchange building premises, but security officials did not allow them. The protesters then raised slogans, like “Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha” and “Aarakshan Aamcha Hakka Che” (reservation is our right), outside the building.
Several protesters staged protests in and around the CSMT premises and in front of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) building located nearby in the morning.
Commuters, specially office-goers who travel by trains, were inconvenienced due to the crowded platforms.
Some of the protesters tried to stop vehicles, including BEST buses, by blocking their way on roads outside CSMT, BMC areas and near Metro theatre in the morning, but the police dispersed them.
The police diverted traffic heading towards CSMT to other routes, an official said.
A BEST official said the Mumbai Traffic Police also closed the JJ Bridge for heavy vehicles from 9.30 am due to Maratha quota agitation at Azad Maidan.
“All BEST buses on routes approaching or passing through CSMT have been diverted or temporarily suspended,” a spokesperson said.
Traffic on the Eastern Freeway and other roads leading to south Mumbai was moving slow, but was not standstill like last week, according to motorists.
The police on Sunday cautioned motorists about disruptions in traffic movement towards south Mumbai.
“Azad Maidan: Expect slow traffic and occasional disruption tomorrow (Monday) morning while commuting towards south Mumbai due to ongoing agitation. Keep following directions given at traffic junctions to minimise,” the Mumbai Traffic Police posted on its official social media handle.
Police have deployed additional force in and around Azad Maidan and barricaded several roads leading to south Mumbai in view of the agitation.
Vikhe Patil, who heads a cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha reservation issue, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday night to discuss the situation.
“We are working to resolve the issue. I agree it’s taking time. But the solution should be sustainable in courts,” the minister told reporters on Monday.
He said the protesters should ensure the daily routine of Mumbai residents is not affected as it will show their agitation in poor light.
Fadnavis is expected to meet his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar to discuss the government’s plan to end the stand-off.
Jarange has demanded the government issue a GR based on the reservation based on available records.
The government on Sunday said it will seek a legal opinion on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer on the Kunbi status- an OBC caste- for the Maratha community. PTI MR DC KK GK
Category: Breaking News
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