Jalna, Sep 26 The tent and stage at Antarwali Sarati village in Maharashtra’s Jalna district, which had become the epicentre of the Maratha reservation protest led by activist Manoj Jarange, were finally removed after 1,123 days, the local sarpanch said on Saturday.
The decision to dismantle the platform and the tent was taken by local residents considering their daily activities, traffic movement, and the need to keep the area open, he said.
The removal of the structure marked the end of a significant chapter in the three-year-long agitation for OBC quota for Maratha community members.
The area had witnessed several major developments in the quota stir for more than three years, said village sarpanch Pandurang Tarakh.
Jarange launched his indefinite hunger strike at the site on August 29, 2023, demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category through the Kunbi classification.
The site gained statewide prominence following the police lathi-charge on September 1, 2023.
From the platform, Jarange repeatedly issued deadlines to the state government, held talks with ministerial delegations and addressed thousands of supporters who travelled to Antarwali Sarati from different parts of Maharashtra.
Between August 29, 2023, and September 25, 2026, Jarange had staged 11 hunger strikes at the same site (a period of three years and 27 days, or 1,123 days in total), said Tarakh.
During his 11th hunger strike a few days ago, Jarange had declared that the agitation would be “decisive and final”. He subsequently withdrew the protest.
Following the conclusion of the hunger strike, discussions began among villagers over the future of the tent and stage. Considering daily activities of villagers, traffic movement and the need to keep the area open, the villagers and sarpanch eventually reached a consensus to remove the structure.
Late on Friday night, the tent, bamboo framework and the main stage used for the agitation were dismantled and removed.
(PTI News)
