India, Sept. 1 -- Azad Maidan has become both a battlefield of resolve and a picture of squalor, as the Maratha quota agitation entered its third day on Sunday. Thousands of protesters, many of them farmers and students, continued their sit-in under the leadership of activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, enduring hunger, heavy rains and the absence of basic amenities in the heart of South Mumbai.

From early morning, chants of "Patil, Patil" echoed not just at the protest site but across Mumbai's lifelines-local trains. Packed compartments from Vashi to Chembur carried demonstrators pouring into CSMT, where the ground and surrounding streets have turned into makeshift camps. By mid-morning, the area reeked of neglect: discarded food plates, banan...