Activist brings Maratha quota fight to Mumbai, but police cite lack of space

Mumbai, Jan 25 (PTI) Mumbai Police on Thursday issued a notice to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who along with his thousands of supporters is on the way to the Maharashtra capital, saying no ground in the city can accommodate such a large gathering and he should hold his agitation in neighbouring Navi Mumbai instead.

While Jarange wants to hold his protest at Azad Maidan, a designated site for agitations in south Mumbai from Friday, police suggested that he settle for International Corporate Park in Kharghar area of Navi Mumbai.

The notice was issued by the senior inspector of the Azad Maidan Police Station under section 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) which gives powers to law enforcement authorities to take steps to prevent cognizable offences.

The activist should adhere to directives passed by the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court from time to time regarding the conduct of agitations, and if the protesters failed to follow these directives, it will be considered a contempt of court, the notice said.

Jarange, spearheading the agitation seeking reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education, set out for Mumbai from his village in Latur district in central Maharashtra on January 20. He reached Lonavala, a hill town in Pune district located around 130km from Mumbai, earlier in the day.

When asked if he and his followers had got permission from the police to hold agitation at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, Jarange said a stage was being erected at the site, indicating he had not changed his plans.

The police notice further said Mumbai's traffic management will go for a toss if a large number of vehicles, which are part of the agitation, enter the densely populated city. More than 60 lakh people travel in the financial capital daily by suburban trains and other means of transport for jobs and earning livelihood.

As per a Bombay High Court order, only 7,000 square metre area at Azad Maidan is reserved for any kind of agitation and the site can accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 protesters. If a large number of agitators come to Azad Maidan, there will not be enough space to accommodate them, and no facilities will be available for them, said the notice.

For holding an agitation at Shivaji Park in Dadar, permission of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner is required. Holding agitation, rally or any programme at Shivaji Park without the BMC commissioner's nod will amount to contempt of court and the sprawling ground in central Mumbai will be a key venue for Republic Day celebrations on January 26, it said.

Shivaji Park, too, does not have the capacity to accommodate a large gathering, said the police in the notice to the Maratha quota activist. PTI