A 45-year-old Maratha quota activist allegedly committed suicide in Mumbai’s Bandra early on Thursday, leaving behind a note in which he urged community members to fight for the cause, prompting activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to say on Friday that he would not “step back an inch” until the Marathas got reservation.

Sunil Kawale, a resident of Jalna district, was found hanging from pole number 4 of a flyover between Bandra and Bandra Kurla Complex, a police officer said.

Kawale was a member of the Maratha Kranti Morcha. He reportedly worked as an autorickshaw driver.

The death comes days before the October 24 deadline set by Jalna-based activist Jarange-Patil for the Maharashtra government to grant all Marathas OBC status. Jarange-Patil has been a prominent face of the militant agitation since 2016 that had died down after the Supreme Court struck down reservation for Marathas as unconstitutional in 2021.

Speaking at a huge rally at Rajgurunagar in Pune district on Friday, Jarange-Patil appealed to community members not to resort to violence or any extreme step like suicide. He will explain the further course of action for the agitation on Sunday, he said.

“Yesterday, one of our brothers, Sunil Kawale, ended his life while seeking quota. In the last more than a month, 15 to 16 people from the community have ended their lives. In the past, 47 people from the community had ended their lives. As a community, we will not allow their sacrifices to go to waste,” he said.

“We started this agitation on August 29. The fight is going on even today.... Now no one has the courage to stop this agitation. I have given my word to everyone that reservation will be obtained in a peaceful manner, and I will not step back an inch until the community gets reservation,” he added.

The quota movement gained momentum after police baton-charged a rally of Marathas in Jalna on September 1. Jarange-Patil was on a hunger strike there since August 29. He called it off on September 15 only after some policemen were suspended, cases against the rallyists were withdrawn, an inquiry was ordered, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis apologised and chief minister Eknath Shinde met him.

Jarange-Patil has since toured the state to build support for the movement, and gave a 10-day ultimatum to the Maharashtra government on October 14 to somehow grant reservation.

Congress Working Committee member Ashok Chavan wrote on X on Thursday: “It is my earnest request to all, please do not take such an extreme step. Marathas will not get reservation by ending their lives, but they will have to fight for it through democracy. Along with this, I also request the central and state governments to take serious note of the suicides of Maratha activists and take immediate concrete steps to fulfil the demand for Maratha reservation.”