Mumbai Police on Tuesday issued a notice to Manoj Jarange and his supporters, asking them to vacate Azad Maidan in the city as the activist's hunger strike over the demand for Maratha quota entered the fifth day.
The notice came hours after the Bombay High Court on Monday asked the government to ensure that the streets are vacated of the protesters by noon on Tuesday, noting that they have violated all pre-agitation conditions laid down by the police.
Describing the situation as grim on Monday as Jarange continued his agitation at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, the HC, during a special hearing, observed that all pre-agitation conditions have been violated and asked protesters to stay within confines of the designated area for stir.
Noting that Mumbai was "literally paralysed" due to Maratha agitation, the HC stated it was giving an "opportunity" to Jarange and protesters to ensure all streets are vacated and cleaned by Tuesday noon.
A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad said since the protesters do not have valid permission to continue the stir, it expects the Maharashtra government to follow the due procedure laid down in law by initiating appropriate steps.
The government shall also ensure no more protesters enter the city henceforth, it said.
As the HC came down heavily on protesters for not remaining at Azad Maidan - the designated place for the agitation - and blocking vital areas and roads in south Mumbai, the 43-year-old activist asked his supporters to follow the court directives and not inconvenience people by roaming on streets.
Jarange, who is demanding inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category for reservation benefits, stopped drinking water on Monday afternoon, but took some sips in the evening while addressing his supporters after the HC directives.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his administration will implement the HC directives on the Maratha quota protest and added the Mahayuti government is deliberating on finding legal options to resolve the standoff.
The high court noted the protesters have gathered at vital places such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Churchgate railway stations, Marine Drive promenade and even the HC building.
"We are giving Jarange and his supporters an opportunity to rectify the situation immediately and ensure the streets are vacated and cleaned up by Tuesday noon," the bench said.
The HC, while posting the matter for further hearing on Tuesday, said if by then Jarange's health worsens, the government shall administer medical assistance to him.
Advocate General Birendra Saraf told the court that permission for the protest was granted only till August 29.
Jarange and his supporters have violated every single condition and undertaking, he argued.
If Jarange's statement that lakhs of more such protesters will come in, then how does the state government plan to deal with the situation, the court asked.
"He has said he will go on a fast till death and will not leave Mumbai till his demands are met. He (Jarange) is giving a clear threat. Why is the state government not getting the roads cleared? As per the assurance given by Jarange, life in Mumbai will not come to standstill. Every assurance is violated," the bench said.
"Why are the protesters not sitting only at Azad Maidan and loitering everywhere else, the court sought to know. We want normalcy. Protesters are bathing and cooking and defecating on the streets," the HC said.
Earlier on Monday, doctors examined the health of Jarange, who launched his hunger strike on August 29.
The activist accused CM Fadnavis of deliberately delaying a decision on the issue.
"It is so easy to take a decision (on providing quota to Marathas). The government has to just say it is implementing Hyderabad, Satara and other gazetteers and declare all Marathas in Marathwada as Kunbis. The distribution of such certificates can be done by district collectors and tehsildars," Jarange claimed.
Roads, station turn playgrounds for Maratha quota protesters; leftover food littered
Some protesters dumped leftover food, empty water bottles and wrappers on road medians, the station platforms and even on tracks, and civic workers were seen cleaning the waste and other trash from the areas.
On a road outside Azad Maidan, some pro-quota protesters were on Monday seen playing cricket as the agitation acquired myriad colours with agitators, who have descended on Mumbai from all over Maharashtra, engaging in different activities to keep themselves busy and boost morale of each other.
A large number of protesters was on Monday seen dancing and raising slogans at CSMT in support of the quota demand, leading to overcrowding at the busy station, located just a few metres away from Azad Maidan where Jarange is staging a hunger strike from August 29 demanding reservation for Marathas under the OBC grouping.
They danced on the tunes of Hindi songs like "Main Hoon Don" and Marathi songs as well.
Some protesters jumped on dead end of the Harbour Line tracks on Monday afternoon, but they were quickly persuaded by the railway police to move out, an official said.
Another group of agitators formed a human pyramid and the person standing on the top was seen carrying a placard listing quota-related demands of the community.
In another incident, a blade of a fan installed inside the CSMT station was bent.
According to the official, some protesters played kabaddi, kho kho and wrestled with each other inside the railway station, which has become "home" for many agitators for the last few days.
Speaking to reporters, Government Railway Police Commissioner Rakesh Kalasagar said adequate security arrangements have been made for both train commuters and protesters to avoid any untoward incident.
"We have requested protesters to cooperate with police and keep some space for daily train commuters so as not to hinder their movement," said Kalasagar.
On Monday, scores of agitators gathered on the road going towards Mahapalika Marg, J J Marg and D N Road, bringing traffic to a standstill for sometime.
Some groups of protesters tried to enter the Bombay Stock Exchange building premises, but security officials stopped them.
The protesters then raised slogans, like "Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha" and "Aarakshan Aamcha Hakka Che" (reservation is our right), outside the building.
After a Bombay High Court order, police placed barricades on the road leading to Azad Maidan.
Commuters, specially office-goers who travel by trains, were inconvenienced due to the crowded platforms at Mumbai CSMT.
Some of the protesters on Monday tried to stop vehicles, including BEST buses, by blocking their way on roads outside CSMT, BMC areas and near Metro theatre, but police dispersed them.
On Monday evening, vehicles carrying food from different parts of the state arrived outside CSMT station, and protesters, cheering loudly, were seen distributing food items among community members.
They also offered food items to people on way to home from offices.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said it has deployed around 1,000 sanitation workers to maintain cleanliness at Azad Maidan and surrounding areas, where a large number of protesters have gathered.
The BMC stated it had distributed garbage collection bags among protesters, appealing to them to deposit trash in the bags and hand them over to the civic body.
In addition, the civic body has set up 400 toilets at various locations.
Despite the deployment of sanitation workers, garbage was thrown on roads outside Azad Maidan, particularly at the square in front of CSMT and on connecting roads where protesters' vehicles were parked.
In the evening, the square outside CSMT resembled a dumping ground with water bottles, banana peels, tea cups, wrappers, and discarded food items strewn around.
Movement of people and vehicles became difficult due to haphazardly parked vehicles and mud slurry caused by light rain.
Some protesters had dumped leftover food items, including breads, samosas, fruits and pickles, on the road medians.
BMC workers were seen cleaning the food waste and other trash from the area, in addition to using water jet machines to wash the roads.
Condition inside CSMT was no different.
Empty water bottles, wrappers, cardboard boxes, and leftover food were littered across the station concourse, platforms, and even on the tracks.
However, not all protesters were contributing to the mess.
A group of protesters from Ambegaon tehsil in Pune district was seen cleaning the CSMT station premises.