A 32-year-old protestor participating in the Maratha quota agitation died of a heart attack in Mumbai on Saturday, police said. The man, identified as Vijaykumar Chandrakant Ghogre, was an activist from Takalgaon village in Maharashtra’s Latur district.
Ghogre was pronounced dead at the government-run J J Hospital after experiencing severe chest pain. He had travelled to Mumbai with a group of 40 people in two tempos to join the reservation demonstration at Azad Maidan. Ghogre was in the Pydhonie area during the afternoon when he suffered a heart attack.
According to police officials, at least 15 protestors have required medical attention at J J Hospital for various health concerns since Maratha quota movement leader Manoj Jarange launched his hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Friday.
Ghogre's death comes just two days after a 40-year-old activist Satish Deshmukh from Beed district died of a heart attac near Junnar in Pune. He was also a part of Jarange' convoy to Mumbai.
Jarange's Hunger Strike Continues
Mumbai Police extended Maratha quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange’s permission to protest at Azad Maidan for another day on Saturday, but the 43-year-old activist remained resolute, dismissing overtures from the state’s official delegation.
On the second day of Jarange’s hunger strike, traffic disruptions persisted around the venue as thousands filled the area, with some protestors even bathing on city roads amid the crowd’s growing presence.
Jarange took aim at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for sending retired High Court judge Sandeep Shinde, who is currently heading a committee on expediting Maratha reservations, to negotiate. "It is not Justice Shinde's job to issue a Government Resolution (GR) announcing grant of reservation to Marathas," Jarange insisted, declaring his intention to continue the agitation.
Fadnavis reiterated the administration’s commitment to finding a solution within constitutional and legal boundaries, while NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar called for a constitutional amendment to raise the cap on overall reservation.
The talks between Jarange and the government delegation ended without progress, leaving the impasse unresolved as the protest entered its third day.