The Maratha Morcha protest continues on the second day on Saturday (August 30) at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Thousands of Marathas have travelled from villages and arrived in the city to support the Maratha Morcha in demand for 10% reservation of the Maratha community, while a large crowd has also gathered outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station.
Due to the large gathering, heavy traffic jams have been reported, with protesters blocking the roads for over half an hour outside the CSMT station. The Mumbai Police and additional forces, including CISF and CRPF contingents, were deployed to manage the situation.
On Friday (August 30), the second day of Manoj Jarange Patil’s protest, the demand for Maratha reservation continued, but protesters faced serious hardships. On the first day, they had to bathe on the roadside and arrange their own food as hotels and food stalls remained shut. In Navi Mumbai, protesters even took out a red car rally as part of the agitation.
Also Read | Mumbai Maratha Morcha: Thousands More To Join Manoj Jarange Patil at Azad Maidan Today
Many expressed frustration, saying the Maratha community was being inconvenienced deliberately. Protesters complained of no toilet facilities, inadequate drinking water, and being forced to sit under tanker trucks.
Heavy rainfall worsened conditions at Azad Maidan, turning the ground into a muddy swamp. Protesters struggled to find dry shelter, while hundreds were forced to sleep on pavements near CSMT station and under nearby buildings in the Fort area. Meanwhile, vehicles parked on both sides of the road near CSMT created severe congestion.