Jalna: The protest site at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, which emerged as a key centre of the Maratha reservation movement, has been cleared after remaining active for 1,123 days.

The site had become closely associated with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who held multiple hunger strikes there demanding reservation for the Maratha community and issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas.

The village drew statewide attention in 2023 after a police action during an attempt to shift Jarange to a hospital intensified the agitation. Following the incident, Antarwali Sarati became a major gathering point for supporters of the reservation demand.

Jarange has consistently demanded that Marathas with historical Kunbi records be issued caste certificates, enabling them to avail benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. The Maharashtra government has maintained that historical records have been identified and that eligible applicants are being issued Kunbi certificates.

The clearing of the protest site comes amid ongoing discussions between Jarange and the state government over the implementation of various demands linked to Maratha reservation.

For over three years, the location remained a prominent symbol of the agitation, witnessing large gatherings, protests and discussions surrounding the community’s demand for reservation.

The removal of the protest arrangements marks a significant change at a site that had become synonymous with the Maratha quota movement in Maharashtra.