Over the past several days, the Antarwali Sarati village has been the backdrop for a fervent protest led by hundreds of demonstrators, spearheaded by local Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil. Their demands center around securing reservations for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. It was only when Jarange-Patil’s health deteriorated on the fourth day of his hunger strike that police intervened in the agitation, resulting in a lathi charge and subsequently stirring state politics.
Manoj Jarange-Patil, a committed advocate for the Maratha cause, has been actively involved in the Maratha agitation in the state for many years. Originally from Matori village in Beed district, he relocated to Ankush Nagar village in Ambad taluka of Jalna district with his family a few years ago. He lives with his parents, three brothers, wife, and four children.
Having left formal education after the 12th grade, Manoj Jarange-Patil hails from a modest background. He began working at a local hotel and gradually became deeply engaged in Maratha community activities. He has been a part of the Maratha agitation for over a decade and played a prominent role in leading the movement in Jalna district from 2016 to 2018.
Despite his humble beginnings, Manoj Jarange-Patil dedicated himself entirely to the community’s cause. He sold two out of his four acres of ancestral land to support his activism for the Maratha community, according to his friends.
Jarange-Patil has actively participated in more than 30 protests advocating for Maratha reservations since 2011. In 2014, he led a massive rally at the Aurangabad divisional headquarters, establishing himself as a prominent leader of the Maratha agitation across the state.
To further his mission, he founded the ‘Shivba’ organization to champion Maratha community rights. In 2021, he conducted a sit-down protest in Pimpalgaon, Jalna district, for over three months. He resorted to hunger strikes to ensure adequate compensation for the families of martyrs in the Maratha agitation. Additionally, he was involved in an incident where the accused in the Kopardi rape and murder case (which triggered the Maratha agitation in 2016) were assaulted in court, with his Shivba organization named in the case. Furthermore, Jarange-Patil led a campaign advocating for the death penalty for the Kopardi case accused.
Manoj Jarange-Patil’s unwavering commitment to the Maratha community’s cause has made him a prominent figure in the ongoing movement for their rights and reservations.
