Clean-Up Begins at Azad Maidan After HC Raps Manoj Jarange; Police Order Vacate as Maratha Quota Stir Chokes Mumbai

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation began an overnight “deep cleaning” of the Azad Maidan precinct after the Bombay High Court came down heavily on activist Manoj Jarange and ordered that all streets clogged by the Maratha quota agitation be vacated by Tuesday noon. Mumbai Police served notices to Jarange and his core committee to clear out of the Azad Maidan protest site, citing violations of pre-agitation conditions, including obstructing roads with trucks, cars and crowds beyond the designated zone.

The court, in a special hearing, said the protest had “literally paralysed” Mumbai and gave Jarange an “opportunity” to restore normalcy by vacating streets and ensuring the city is cleaned up, noting that agitators had spilled over to CSMT, Churchgate and Marine Drive and even blocked access to the High Court building. “We want normalcy,” the bench observed while directing that streets be freed and conditions respected.

BMC said teams executed a late-night clear-out and sanitation drive around Azad Maidan, deploying a skid-steer (Bobcat), mini compactors and a large compactor to remove waste and reopen thoroughfares, with staff supplementing mechanical operations. The civic body indicated that efforts would continue through Tuesday to restore the area for public use, as traffic curbs remained in force with both side roads outside Azad Maidan clogged by vehicles and lingering groups of supporters.

Mumbai Police, meanwhile, formalised the enforcement push with written notices instructing Jarange’s team to vacate Azad Maidan for breaching conditions set under court and police guidelines for public assemblies, after noting his public statements and the dispersal of protesters across central Mumbai.

As the agitation entered day five, Jarange—on an indefinite hunger strike since August 29 demanding 10% reservation for the Maratha community under the OBC category—urged followers to follow the court’s directives, not trouble residents and park only in designated areas, while vowing to leave the city only after the community secured quota inclusion.

“Those who don’t want to listen to me can return to their villages,” he told supporters, even as some began packing and others remained defiant, with instances of celebratory dancing seen on the streets early Tuesday. The High Court’s reprimand followed visuals of widespread disruption, prompting the bench to remark that assurances given to keep the protest peaceful and confined to Azad Maidan amounted to “lip service” as the city was brought to a halt.