'Come out of your houses': Dhangar activist Deepak Borhade heads to Mumbai sans nod; HC recalls Jarange stir ‘mess’

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Dhangar quota activist Deepak Borhade on Tuesday morning posted a video on social media saying he was heading to Mumbai from Jalna to hold a stir in support of the community's demand.

He said he was reaching Mumbai by train, and appealed to members of the Dhangar community to reach the state capital in large numbers.

"Come out of your houses. If the police arrest me, all of you should also ensure you are arrested too," he said in a post on social media.

The exact location of Borhade could not be ascertained until late Tuesday evening. The Jalna police refused to talk about Borhade heading for Mumbai.

Earlier, the administration had imposed a day-long curfew in Jalna and Ambad on Jan 17 after the Mumbai police denied permission to Borhade to hold an agitation at Azad Maidan. Borhade was kept under preventive detention, but was later released by the local court on a personal recognisance bond of Rs 25,000, subject to strict conditions.

Borhade then filed a petition in the Bombay high court requesting single-day permission to hold a protest at Azad Maidan, but on Monday, the high court refused an urgent hearing on the matter and scheduled the next hearing for Jan 28.

Protesters "ruined" the city during Manoj Jarange's hunger strike for Maratha reservation last year and left without clearing the mess, the division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri said.

The high court said permission is sought for one day, but then the protesters overstay. "We remember the protests held last year by the Maratha community," the court said, adding that they sought permission for one day, but did not leave for six days.

Earlier, in Oct 2025, Borhade had observed a prolonged hunger strike to press for the inclusion of the Dhangar community in the ST category to get reservation and other associated benefits.