Manoj Jarange-Patil.
Credit: Special Arrangement
He has been part of several agitations and protests in the past but Manoj Jarange-Patil has now emerged as the face of the demand for reservation for the Maratha community in Maharashtra.
Jarange Patil hails from Matori village of Beed. However, a few years ago, he shifted to Ankush Nagar village of Ambad tehsil of Jalna district of Marathwada region, where he stays along with his parents, three brothers, wife and four children.
On August 29, he started a hunger strike in Antarwali Sarathi village near Dhule-Solapur road in Ambad tehsil of Jalna. However, on Friday, the situation went out of hand, when police carried out a lathicharge during an attempt to shift Jarange-Patil to a hospital.
A few years ago, when the Maratha reservation demand was at its peak, he formed Shivba Sanghatna and undertook several campaigns and agitations.
“I am undertaking an examination and hoping for the best. Come what may, I will assure reservation for the Maratha community,” said Jarange-Patil at the protest site.
Reports say that Jarange-Patil is a Class 12 dropout and hails from a very humble background. He initially worked at a hotel.
He owned four acres of ancestral land of which he sold off 2 acres to work for the community, according to his friends.
Over the last few years, he has been part of over two dozen mega rallies including the one in Aurangabad. He was also at the forefront of demanding death penalty for the accused in the rape-murder case of Kopardi in Ahmednagar district. The incident had triggered a series of rallies demanding reservations for Marathas.