Kunbis call off a day-long protest after meeting Maharashtra Skill Minister Lodha  

Around 10,000 protestors from the Kunbi community and allied OBC groups gathered at Azad Maidan on Thursday (October 9, 2025) to oppose the Maharashtra government’s decision to issue Kunbi caste certificates to members of the Maratha community. The protest, which began since 8 a.m., was called off by evening after Maharashtra’s Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, met the demonstrators and assured them that their demands would be conveyed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde within eight days. 

The protest was organised by the Kunbi Samajonnatti Sangh and Vividh Kunbi Samajik Sangathana Aaojit, in response to a Government Resolution (GR) issued on September 2, which announced the formation of a special committee to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible members of the Maratha community, based on entries in the Hyderabad Gazetteer. 

Speaking to The Hindu, Anil D. Navgane, chairman of Kunbi Samajonnatti Sangh, said that Mr. Lodha explained the absence of senior Ministers and the Chief Minister due to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He assured the protestors that a meeting would be held soon and their grievances would be addressed. Protest leaders warned that if their demands are not met, they will escalate the agitation and bring the State to a standstill. 

Protesters arrived from seven districts including Ratnagiri, Palghar, Thane, Sindhudurg, and Mumbai, boarding buses and trains, leaving their jobs and family behind. The protesters were wearing white caps that read ‘We are Kunbi’. Many are small-scale farmers and daily wage workers. There were women too who took part in the protest.  

Madhav Kamble, joint secretary of Kunbi Samajonnatti Sangh and a farmer from Dodavali village in Guhagar taluka, said that while the protest was peaceful and democratic, no government representative came to meet them until the evening. “When Marathas protested, ministers and collectors rushed to meet them even during the night. This is caste-based discrimination,” he said. 

The protestors expressed concern that the Maratha community, which already benefits from EWS (Economically Weaker Section) and SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes) quotas, is now seeking entry into the OBC category through Kunbi caste certificates. They alleged that 58 lakh Kunbi registrations are being used to facilitate this inclusion, which they say undermines the constitutional rights of the OBCs. 

Pratiksha Niwate, a 29-year-old pharmacist from Nalasopara in Palghar district, said she took leave from work to join the protest. “We don’t oppose Maratha reservation. But they should not be mixed with Kunbi and OBC categories. This is our constitutional right. If I don’t fight today, my children will ask why I didn’t stand up for their future,” she said. 

The protestors cited the Supreme Court’s May 2021 verdict, which struck down the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act that had granted reservation to the Maratha community. The Court reaffirmed the 50% cap on reservations and held that Marathas could not be classified as OBCs, distinguishing them from communities like Kunbis who are constitutionally recognized as OBCs. 

They also raised concerns about disparities in welfare funding. Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has publicly stated that while ₹25,000 crore has been spent on Maratha welfare in recent years, only ₹2,500 crore was allocated to OBCs over the past 25 years. He also pointed out that ₹2,933 crore in pending OBC welfare funds had remained unutilized until recently. 

In February, OBC outfits had demanded the withdrawal of the GR during a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, warning that it undermines constitutional protections for backward classes. On October 7, the Bombay High Court declined to grant interim relief to petitioners challenging the GR, allowing the government to continue issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas while the matter remains under judicial review. 

While the protest concluded peacefully, the organisers made it clear that this was only the beginning. If the government fails to act on their demands, they plan to mobilise a larger movement across Maharashtra.