Manoj Jarange's fast enters Day 5 as health dips over Kunbi certificates' demand

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange continued his indefinite fast in Jalna as officials urged him to relent. The standoff has sharpened pressure on the Maharashtra government over Maratha reservation and Kunbi certificates.Manoj Jarange began his latest indefinite fast in Jalna district on August 29, seeking reservation for Marathas and immediate issuance of Kunbi certificates on the basis of gazette recordsActivist Manoj Jarange's hunger strike over the Maratha reservation issue entered its fifth day on Wednesday, as doctors at the protest site raised concerns over his declining health and the Jalna district collector appealed to him to call off the fast.Jarange began his latest indefinite fast in Jalna district on August 29, seeking reservation for Marathas and immediate issuance of Kunbi certificates on the basis of gazette records, among other demands. He has also warned that the agitation will be intensified and taken to Mumbai if the demands are not met.A medical officer who checked Jarange said his blood sugar level had dropped. A team of doctors stationed at the protest site urged him to take intravenous fluids, but he refused, the doctor said.As part of the Maharashtra government's efforts to persuade him to end the fast, Jalna Collector Ashima Mittal met Jarange at the protest site on Tuesday night. During the meeting, Mittal explained the steps taken by the government on Maratha reservation. Jarange, however, asked whether she had come to "defend the government's position" and told her not to get involved in the matter, saying the demands required decisions at the state level.He said he respected her, but would not accept her explanation on the issue. He also asked her not to visit him again in connection with the agitation, alleging that the government was unnecessarily sending her to negotiate with him. Jarange has claimed that 58 lakh records showing genealogical links between Marathas and Kunbis have been found, and alleged that the government was trying to reduce that figure.His main demand is that members of the Maratha community be recognised as Kunbis and be given the reservation benefits available to Other Backward Classes in education and government jobs.His other demands include reservation on the basis of the Satara Gazette, withdrawal of police cases filed against quota protesters across Maharashtra, and government jobs and financial compensation for the families of those who died during earlier agitations.Jarange's earlier protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, which began on August 29 last year, had led to traffic disruption and was withdrawn on September 2 after the state accepted six of eight demands and started issuing Kunbi caste certificates.On Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government was open to discussing constitutionally valid and legally viable demands, and not those "violative of the Supreme Court's orders". Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Tuesday that the Mahayuti government was committed to ensuring justice for the community without causing injustice to any other section.He said the government remained positively inclined towards providing whatever was legally permissible and fair, and appealed to Jarange to adopt a "constructive approach".- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 2, 2026 13:45 IST