Maratha Kranti Morcha


The Maratha Kranti Morcha, loosely translated as "Maratha revolutionary march" 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. The impetus for the rallies was the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village, Maharashtra, on 13 July 2016. 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.
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.
The demand for Maratha 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. Later, the Supreme Court quashed the Maratha community reservations. 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

  • On 7 October 2016, 2 month and 24 days after the rape and murder incident, the Ahmednagar Police filed a charge sheet running into over 350 pages before the Ahmednagar sessions court in which the trio was charged under IPC sections 302, 376, and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
  • On 19 October 2016, 3 months to the incident, the Kopardi rape and murder case trial began in the Ahmednagar sessions court. The special public prosecutor and lawyer opened the case by describing the charges of criminal conspiracy to commit rape and murder against all three accused.
  • On 18 November 2017, 1 year and 4 months after the incident, the Ahmednagar sessions court convicted the three men on charges of rape, murder, and criminal conspiracy.
  • On 29 November 2017, the Ahmednagar sessions court awarded the death sentence to all three convicts.
  • On 10 September 2023, the Kopardi rape and murder case convict was found dead inside Pune's Yerawada Jail.

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.
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.

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.

2025

Manoj Jarange-Patil demanded reservation for Maratha 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.
  • 1st Day: hunger strike was started on 29 August 2025 10:00AM at Azad Maidan Mumbai.
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.
The Government of Maharashtra rejected Maratha quota reservation under the Other Backward Class category as demanded by Manoj Jarange-Patil
Manoj Jarange-Patil warned the Government of Maharashtra that it should not test the patience of the Maratha community.
As hunger strike of Manoj Jarange-Patil enter in 3rd day, and no prompt action initiated from the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Maratha reservations issue, a resentment shown on social media by Maratha commodity with sharing an old statements of Devendra Fadnavis.
"Where there is will, there is a way!
Where there is no will, there is survey and report!"
- Devendra Fadnavis
Manoj Jarange-Patil renunciate water and continued hunger strike as the Government of Maharashtra not accepting the demands.
Manoj Jarange-Patil hunger strike was continued; a non-violent form of protest to draw judiciary attention to injustices and pressure the Government of Maharashtra to meet demands of reservation for Maratha community under the Other Backward Class category.
The Government of Maharashtra accepted the demands of reservation for Maratha community under the Other Backward Class category by issuing Kunbi caste certificates to eligible individuals of Maratha community as part of the Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha cluster. Manoj Jarange-Patil ended his hunger strike on 5th day after invocation by Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the chairman of subcommittee of the Government of Maharashtra.

Rasta Roko Morcha

2025

Violence

January 2017

Road blockades 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 and across Maharashtra
  • Non-fatal injuries: at least 3 citizens
  • Arrests: at least 27

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.
On 24 July 2018, protests turned violent; protesters attacked police officers and torched buses, police vehicles, and private cars.
25 July 2018 – Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, RaigadSelf-immolation: 5 protestersNon-fatal injuries:two police officersProperty damage: 160 private cars in Navi Mumbai, 37 public transport buses in Mumbai, 2 fire brigade vehicles in Aurangabad, 16 vehicles torched, 80 vehicles vandalized in Chakan, Pune, 16 buses burned in Solapur

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.

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: and
  • Increase the upper limit of the Economically Backward Class to Rs.6,00,000, and announced the extension of monetary benefits under this category to students from all castes. Students from the EBC category studying in all professional courses would be eligible for benefits such as fee reimbursement under the Rajshri Shahu Maharaj Scheme, which was named after the Maratha king Rajshri Shahu of Kolhapur, who introduced the first reservation policy in the kingdom of Kolhapur State.
  • Create provisions for children of small landholding farmers under the Panjabrao Deshmukh Scheme, named after first State Agriculture Minister of India and Freedom fighter.
As the Bombay high court had stayed the 16% reservation granted to Maratha 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 Maratha 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.

General Election 2024

The threat to the BJP's hegemony is dire, as caste assertion threatens to break through the Hindutva patina.
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.
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.

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.

Dynamics of Conflict

Antagonistic to Maratha Kranti Morcha

  • Chhagan Bhujbal opposes movement of Maratha Kranti Morcha for reservation demand of Maratha community under the Other Backward Class category despite his constitutional oath to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Chhagan Bhujbal suggested the Government of Maharashtra to carry out caste wise "Maharashtra Janganana" refers to the caste wise census of Maharashtra during 2027 census of India. The caste wise census will help to assess the actual outcomes of Reservation Schemes and to draft better targeted and equitable policies.
A 2024 report from the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission indicated that Maratha make up about 28% of the state's population. The exact percentage of the Kunbi caste in Maharashtra is not precisely reported, but they are often grouped with Maratha as part of the Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha cluster, which accounts for approximately 30% to 40% of the state's population. The Kunbi caste has Reservation in the Other Backward Class category. The exact population percentage for the Other Backward Class in Maharashtra is disputed, with estimates ranging from 33.8% to over 38%, as suggested by recent analyses of educational and administrative datasets. A 2022 report by the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission analyzing data from the SARAL and UDISE reports indicated the Other Backward Class population exceeding 38%.

Integration of India