MUMBAI: The Maratha quota agitation, which brought Mumbai to a standstill, concluded on Tuesday after activist Manoj Jarange Patil declared victory and ended his five day hunger strike at Azad Maidan. The announcement came after the Maharashtra government agreed to key demands, including issuing Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas, enabling reservation benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Jarange, who first launched his agitation in September 2023 from his village Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district, has been at the forefront of the Maratha quota movement for nearly two years. His indefinite hunger strikes in the past, including the one in Jalna that turned violent, drew statewide attention and forced the government to repeatedly engage with him. The latest phase of the protest began on September 1, 2025, when he and thousands of his supporters marched towards Mumbai, culminating in the Azad Maidan sit in that lasted five days.

Addressing the crowd after meeting a cabinet subcommittee led by Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Jarange said, “We have won.” The government also agreed to withdraw Rs. 5,000 fines imposed on protesters for traffic violations during their march to Mumbai. Following the announcement, he appealed to his followers to disperse peacefully and vacate Azad Maidan by 9 p.m., allowing the city to return to normalcy.

The Bombay High Court had earlier pulled up the state for allowing the agitation to disrupt daily life in Mumbai. Nearly 35,000 to 45,000 protesters had descended on South Mumbai, choking arterial roads and causing massive traffic jams. Office goers faced long hours of commuting delays, while public transport was severely affected. BEST buses had to be diverted, long queues were seen at railway stations, and essential supplies struggled to reach markets. Residents of South Mumbai complained of mounting garbage, blocked access roads, and general law and order concerns due to the swelling crowds at Azad Maidan. Several small businesses in the Fort and CST area reported losses as customers stayed away.

The court directed Jarange to confine his stir to Azad Maidan and clear the roads by Tuesday noon, warning of contempt action and exemplary costs for noncompliance. The Mumbai Police also served notices for violating protest conditions, citing cooking on the streets, littering, and unauthorised encroachments during the agitation.

Even as the protest wound up, the High Court ordered Jarange to file an affidavit within four weeks, responding to allegations of public property damage and other violations. The bench noted that while citizens right to protest must be respected, accountability for disruptions cannot be ignored.

The Maratha community’s demand for a 10 percent quota under the OBC category has been a longstanding and contentious issue, sparking political debates and reshaping electoral strategies across Maharashtra. The government’s acceptance of Jarange’s demands marks a significant step towards resolving the agitation, though questions remain on the legal sustainability of the move given the Supreme Court’s earlier cap of 50 percent on total reservations.