On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, when the entire Mumbai Police force is heavily deployed to manage devotees visiting prominent pandals, activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s arrival to exert pressure on the Mahayuti government is expected to add further strain on the police, making law and order management more challenging.
Jarange-Patil, who started his 400km journey from Jalna district’s Anatarwali Sarati on Wednesday morning, long before the police decision was communicated, has announced an indefinite hunger strike to press his demand for the inclusion of Marathas in the other backward classes (OBC) quota.
On Wednesday, Mumbai Police granted permission to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to hold a protest meeting at Azad Maidan on August 29, with a cap of 5,000 participants in the designated area, officials said. The approval from Azad Maidan police station came a day after the Bombay High Court emphasized that the activist could not stage the protest without prior police permission.
In the letter issued by Azad Maidan police station, Jarange-Patil was told that the police permission would be granted for only one day at a time and that it would not be given for Saturdays, Sundays, or government holidays. The letter also imposed caps on the strength of the assembly.
“Only a specific number of vehicles will be allowed. Protesters’ vehicles can come via the Eastern Freeway up to Wadi Bunder. After that, only five vehicles, along with that of the main leader, will be allowed entry into Azad Maidan. All other vehicles must be parked at locations designated by the police. A maximum of 5,000 people can participate in the protest in the designated space of 7,000 square meters at Azad Maidan. Since other protesters also have permission for the same day, their rights must not be affected,” the letter stated.
It also stressed that a protest march would not be allowed and that permission would be required for the use of microphones, speakers, or any noise-making devices.
The city police have also cautioned the organisers to ensure that participants in the protest do not cause disturbance to traffic, inconvenience citizens or take any other action that could hurt religious sentiments, especially in view of the Ganesh festival celebrations.
It is not clear how the organisers would be able to meet the conditions imposed by the police.
Jarange-Patil's is already accompanied by thousands of supporters travelling with him in hundreds of vehicles that choked the state highway between Jalana and Pune.
As around 5,000 protestors have already gathered in Azad Maidan the Mumbai police have barricaded the entry points which lead towards the city.
At least, 1000 police personnel are deployed and 5 companies of Central Armed Forces have been deployed. The protestors have been asked to follow the guidelines.
The Mumbai traffic police anticipate a huge queue of vehicles on EEH and have urged people to travel with caution. Based on the situation tomorrow the police will ban the heavy vehicles on EEH. The GRP has also increased its security on major railway junctions.
The Mumbai police urges people to follow the guidelines and not panic.
