Mumbai: By noon on Wednesday, Azad Maidan had emptied. The protesters were gone, leaving behind only an overwhelming profusion of water bottles. Crows perched silently on the fences, watching as workers hauled them away. The stage built for Manoj Jarange Patil’s protest was being dismantled under the harsh sun, as humidity lay heavy in the air and sweat dripped down the workers’ faces.
Ground Returns to Routine
Scattered all around were used bottles, while more than a lakh sealed water bottles still lay stacked, unopened. Only one gate stood open; the others were firmly locked. The vast ground, so recently consumed by the Maratha agitation, now returned to its familiar rhythm, hosting the handful of smaller demonstrations that take place here almost daily. Gone was the noise and roars, leaving early silence behind.
For other protesting groups who had shared the space, the dispersal brought not only relief but also a flicker of renewed hope that their voices might finally be heard.
Many of these protestors are frustrated that the Maratha agitation had completely overshadowed them. What was billed as a “c,” they say, brought nothing but chaos and disturbance to the city. “Why should we support them?”
The bitterness is unmistakeable.
Rural Nurses Demand Dignity
Among those voicing resentment are women employed as part-time staff nurses in government rural hospitals across Maharashtra. Since August 25, they are staging a sit-in at Azad Maidan. While the Maratha agitation dominated headlines, these women say their protest was ignored. “For five days, no one came to even ask us why we are here,” one nurse says. Their demands are straightforward: proper identity cards, protection from harassment and threats of dismissal, and legally compliant wages. Most of them , they say, are paid Rs3000 a month. Even that comes after six or nine month. The want Rs15000, at least, now “ Try running your own house on Rs 3000,” they challenege.
They also questioned the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Why women already working within the system are being neglected. At the same time, another protest had entered its 29th day. Since August 6, Shashikant Darole, President of the Mahar Watan Haqq Sevabhavi Pratishthan and North Maharashtra President of the Republican Party of India (Athawale) – Deepak Nikhalje faction, hunger strike at Azad Maidan over alleged fraud in Mahar Watan (Inam) lands. A resident of Ahmednagar now living in Chembur in a generous friend's flat. Darole, arrives at the ground at 9 a.m. and leaves at 6 p.m.
He doesn’t know when his fast will end. His demands include cancel all unauthorised purchasesale transactions, revoking illegally registered deeds and power of attorney documents, removing encroachments, restoring lands to original Mahar Watan holders, and cancelling transfer permissions granted by District Collectors. ….The list is long.
Darole said Mahar (now Buddhist) communities were historically granted these lands in recognition of their service. For four to five years, he has led agitations in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Satara, but without result. Meanwhile, the immediate challenge at Azad Maidan was clearing surplus stock left behind after the protests. Cars were loaded and unloaded throughout the day, and a distributor was identified to take charge of the water bottles.
“One person will take responsibility. The price is fixed. No one will take cash-only cheques,” said Ajinath, a 25-year-old volunteer who stayed overnight to safeguard the supplies.
One Lakh Bottles for Sale
According to him, the protest committee instructed that the stock be handed over to distributors rather than left unattended. The agreed rate was ₹40 for a bag of 12 one-litre bottles. Smaller half-litre bottles, he explained, would be priced lower once counted. “There are around one lakh bottles. We will calculate the exact amount. Whatever money comes in will go to the society or the authorities, not into our pockets,” he said.
As this reporter was writing this story, information arrived that Manoj Jarenge Patil has asked that the bottles, all of them to be given away free. It’s on Azad Maidan!
