MUMBAI, Sept. 3 -- The Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil ended his hunger strike after five days on Tuesday, following a government assurance that it will accept six of his eight demands. The activist broke his fast at Azad Maidan by sipping on a glass of juice and terming his Mumbai agitation a "historic win". "Marathyancha vijay zala, Maratha aaj sukhi zala (Marathas have emerged victorious today and we are happy). Today is our Diwali, as we have got what we wanted," he said, after water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil handed over a copy of the draft government resolution (GR) to the activist, who read it out to his supporters, following which he accepted the glass of juice from the minister. The government accepted the following demands made by Jarange-Patil, after deliberations with the cabinet sub-committee, headed by Vikhe-Patil: implementing the Hyderabad (1909) and Satara (1884) gazettes to facilitate Kunbi certificates for Marathas in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category; withdrawing cases on Maratha activists from 2023-2024; facilitating compensation to family members of Marathas who lost their lives during the protests and giving jobs to their relatives eligible to work in the state transport and MIDC; issuing a GR specifying the process of issuing the caste certificates based on the 58 lakh Kunbi records already found by the government; forming village-level committees to scrutinise the applications of Marathas before Kunbi certificates can be issued; and immediate clearance of certificates by the caste verification committee. Significantly, the government did not accept the activist's demand of blanket reservation for all Marathas as Kunbis, without documentary evidence. While the Hyderabad gazette will be implemented right away, the government has sought a month's time for issuing a similar GR for the Satara and Pune-Aundh gazettes (the last one brought up by the activist during deliberations with the committee), which would benefit Marathas in western Maharashtra. Implementing the Hyderabad gazette will "help Marathas in Marathwada to get Kunbi certificates in big numbers, but it will not impact the existing OBC quota" said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, adding that the government had managed to convince the activist that a blanket reservation (which was his demand) for all Marathas in Marathwada was not possible as it's against the constitutional provisions and the existing laws. "According to legal provisions, reservation cannot be given to a group of people, but an individual after it is claimed. We have arrived at a solution which will stand legal scrutiny," said Fadnavis, to the media in Nagpur. "With the gazette, Marathas can now get the Kunbi certificates with the help of documents proving the family tree links." He also apologised to Mumbaikars for being inconvenienced by protesters who had camped in south Mumbai since Friday. Speaking about the importance of the gazettes, Madhukar Ardad, former divisional commissioner of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, who has worked in the Justice Sandeep Shinde committee, constituted to device the method of issuing the certificates, said, "The gazettes are based on caste-based census done between 1881 and 1901. They have abstract descriptions of castes from the villages. These documentary records are maintained by the machinery at the local level which can be obtained to issue the certificates. In cases where the records are not available certificates can be issued following home visits and referential documents to prove lineage." According to people in the know in the government, the Kunbi certificates already issued in Marathwada were low in number compared to other divisions, including western Maharashtra and north Maharashtra. "For instance, of the 58 lakh documents found by the Justice Sandeep Shinde committee, only 2.5 lakh are from Marathwada. Against the documents, over 8.26 lakh Kunbi certificates were issued to Marathas over the last one year of which only 2.08 lakh are from Marathwada. This highlights the need to implement the Hyderabad gazette," the official said. Before breaking his fast, Jarange-Patil warned the government that he would resume his agitation if his decisions were not implemented correctly. Subsequently, he left the city along with his supporters. After reaching Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, he was taken to a hospital....