Between 9 August 2016 and 9 August 2017, Maharashtra's Maratha community held 58 silent, leaderless marches, starting in Aurangabad and ending at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. The trigger was the rape and murder of a Maratha schoolgirl in Kopardi village, Ahmednagar district, in July 2016. The marchers demanded the death penalty for the accused, reservation for Marathas and changes to the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Fadnavis government answered with fee concessions and a referral to the State Backward Class Commission, and a court sentenced the three Kopardi accused to death in November 2017.
Key takeaways
- The Maratha Kranti Morcha began in Aurangabad on 9 August 2016, after a Maratha schoolgirl was raped and murdered in Kopardi, Ahmednagar district, on 13 July 2016; three Dalit men were accused.
- In one year the community held 58 silent marches, led by young women, with no politicians on stage.
- Crowd figures were disputed: in Pune organisers claimed 20 lakh and police estimated up to 15 lakh; in Mumbai on 9 August 2017 police said about 3 lakh.
- The core demands were the death penalty in the Kopardi case, reservation for Marathas, and amendment of the SC/ST Atrocities Act, which Dalit groups opposed.
- The Fadnavis government gave education concessions and referred the quota question to the State Backward Class Commission, but granted no job quota.
- Three Kopardi accused were sentenced to death in November 2017; one died in jail in 2023 and the others' appeals were still before the Bombay High Court in September 2026.
Background: Kopardi and the quota question
On 13 July 2016 a Class IX schoolgirl from the Maratha community was raped and murdered in Kopardi village in Karjat taluka of Ahmednagar district IANS via Gulf News. Most outlets gave her age as 15; some reported 14 Deccan Herald PTI via Business Standard. Three Dalit men were arrested. This page does not name the victim, who was a minor.
The government appointed Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor, but by October 2016 Maratha groups complained that no charge sheet had been filed, Caravan reported Caravan.
The demand for a Maratha quota was older. In June 2014 the Congress-NCP government approved 16% reservation for Marathas, but the Bombay High Court blocked it in November 2014 on a public interest petition, because it took total reservation past the Supreme Court's 50% ceiling Caravan. The Mandal Commission in 1980 and the state's own Backward Class Commission in 2008 had described Marathas as a forward community PTI via Business Standard. Marathas make up about 30 to 32% of the population, and many are farmers hit by agrarian distress PTI via Business Standard The Wire.
How it started: Aurangabad, 9 August 2016
Pravin Gaikwad, a former president of the Sambhaji Brigade, told Caravan that the community first wanted to march in Mumbai on 3 August 2016, but the government refused permission because the legislature was in session. "We decided to hold a rally in Aurangabad instead, expecting 5,000 protestors," he said. "But thanks to social media, more than five lakh Marathas turned up" Caravan. Abasaheb Patil, a state coordinator, later recalled expecting 5,000 to 10,000 people at one of the first marches and seeing "around 4 lakh" Open. These are organisers' figures; no police count of the Aurangabad march was found.
The marches were run under the banner of the Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella of Maratha groups PTI via Business Standard. District organisers kept away from established Maratha politicians Caravan.
How the marches worked
Every march followed the same format. Young women and girls walked at the front, the crowd stayed silent, and volunteers coached participants on the demands for weeks in advance. There was no visible leader on the stage Scroll.
Most marches ended at a government office, where young women in black T-shirts handed over a memorandum and read out the demands from a stage with a bust of Shivaji. A clean-up team followed to clear litter, which won the marchers praise Caravan. Organisers said Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter were used to mobilise people PTI via Business Standard.
Morchas were also held outside Maharashtra, including in New Delhi, Belgaum, Bidar, Indore and Hyderabad. Deccan Herald called the 58 rallies peaceful and incident-free Deccan Herald.
The demands
Caravan listed three main demands in October 2016 Caravan:
- Kopardi: the death penalty for the three accused and a fast-tracked trial.
- Reservation: quotas for Marathas in education and government jobs.
- Atrocities Act: scrapping or amending the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which protesters said was misused through false complaints.
Other demands included relief from the agrarian crisis and a faster Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea Caravan. By the Mumbai march, the charter had grown to 15 points Deccan Herald.
On the Atrocities Act, organisers cited the low conviction rate as proof of misuse. Mumbai police told Scroll the low rate was because one in four complainants and one in three witnesses turn hostile Scroll. Writing in The Wire, journalist Nikhil Wagle said the call to abolish the Act was later softened to regulating its misuse after strong opposition from Dalit groups The Wire.
Timeline
Kopardi crime
A Maratha schoolgirl is raped and murdered in Kopardi, Ahmednagar district. Three Dalit men are arrested IANS via Gulf News.
First march, Aurangabad
The first Maratha Kranti Morcha is held in Aurangabad Deccan Herald.
Pune march
One of the largest marches. More than 4,000 police and over 9,000 volunteers are deployed, and a memorandum with 10 demands goes to the collector Asian Age.
Fee concessions
The cabinet extends the Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj fee reimbursement scheme to economically backward students with family income up to Rs 6 lakh Asian Age.
Kopardi trial begins
The trial opens before a fast-track special court in Ahmednagar IANS via The Quint.
Commission referral
The state asks the State Backward Class Commission to study the social, financial and educational status of Marathas Free Press Journal.
58th march, Mumbai
The final march goes from Byculla to Azad Maidan. Fadnavis announces education concessions in the Assembly PTI via Business Standard.
Kopardi sentences
The special court sentences all three accused to death Deccan Herald.
Crowd estimates and who gave them
Most figures came from organisers or police; none were independent:
- Aurangabad, 9 Aug 2016: "more than five lakh", per organiser Pravin Gaikwad Caravan.
- Pune, 25 Sept 2016: 20 lakh per organisers; up to 15 lakh per police Asian Age.
- Nagpur, 14 Dec 2016: around 50,000 Newslaundry.
- Mumbai, 9 Aug 2017: around 3 lakh per police PTI via Business Standard; about 1.5 lakh at the Byculla starting point per police, with no overall official estimate Bridge Chronicle; "more than three-lakh-strong" per Scroll Scroll.
Dalit and OBC response
Dalit groups opposed any dilution of the Atrocities Act. In Latur on 28 September 2016, Dalits marched against the demand to scrap it, while saying they supported reservation for Marathas Free Press Journal. A Dalit rally was also held in Yavatmal on 29 September The Quint. A confederation of Dalit groups planned a protest in Delhi over atrocities against the community Open.
Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of BR Ambedkar, urged Dalits not to hold counter-protests that could cause friction Caravan The Wire. Union minister Ramdas Athawale first announced counter-rallies, then called for a Maratha-Dalit unity meeting at Shirdi on 7 October 2016 Caravan.
Former Rajya Sabha member Bhalchandra Mungekar, a Dalit, wrote that over 150 atrocities against Dalits in Ahmednagar district in about five years had drawn no protest, and that of 7,345 atrocity cases tried in Maharashtra in 2014, only 59 people were convicted Caravan, quoting Indian Express.
OBC groups also rallied. On 3 October 2016, the Maharashtra Mali Samaj Mahasangh drew "over a couple of lakhs" in Nashik, according to observers quoted by The Quint, demanding that the 27% OBC quota stay untouched and that jailed NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal be freed The Quint.
The marches stayed peaceful, but caste tension rose in places. Near Nashik in October 2016, after a Dalit minor allegedly assaulted a Maratha minor, crowds torched buses and at least seven or eight Dalit houses were burnt; internet was cut for about a week. Outlook said this may outwardly have no connection with the morchas Outlook. Claim · Victims, Newslaundry On 6 December 2016 a mob of about 200 attacked Dalit homes in Chinchner near Satara after a Dalit man was arrested over a woman's killing. Newslaundry said a TV channel framed it as a grieving family's rampage rather than a caste attack, and that Satara guardian minister Vijay Shivtare called it retaliation for the killing of a Maratha girl Newslaundry.
The Mumbai march, 9 August 2017
The 58th march came exactly a year after Aurangabad. Marchers in saffron caps walked from Jijamata Udyan in Byculla to Azad Maidan, halting traffic in south Mumbai PTI via Business Standard Bridge Chronicle. Over 10,000 police were deployed and south Mumbai schools shut. Police called it "an unprecedented rally devoid of any untoward incident" Bridge Chronicle.
Scroll reported slogans, discouraged at earlier marches, and open anger at the BJP governments in the state and at the Centre. "This is our last silent rally," said Vasant Barkale, a farmer from Sinnar Scroll. Politicians who came had to sit in the audience Bridge Chronicle. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar was reported to have been heckled, which he denied PTI via Business Standard.
A 40-member delegation, including women, met Fadnavis at Vidhan Bhavan PTI via Business Standard, and the march ended after his assurances Bridge Chronicle. The memorandum set a deadline of 30 August. Convenor Karan Gaykar warned Scroll that if demands were not met, "we will show him what we are capable of" Scroll.
Both accounts
Marchers' account
Organisers said the marches were a non-political show of a community in distress. Most Marathas are struggling marginal farmers, while a few elite families hold power, they said Caravan Open. They said the Atrocities Act was being misused to settle scores Scroll. "We're not against Fadnavis, nor are we against the SC/STs, OBCs," Pravin Gaikwad said Caravan. A year on, Abasaheb Patil said the government "only looked at it as an event" Open.
Government account
Government's position In October 2016 Fadnavis said his government was firm on reservation for Marathas, adding: "But all issues are not resolved with reservation. Marathas are not demanding repeal of atrocity law but want misuse (of the law) to stop. Even Dalit leaders agree" Medical Dialogues. In August 2017 he told the Assembly the quota question was before the courts and the Backward Class Commission PTI via Business Standard. Changes to the Act and job quotas needed Union government action and constitutional change, Scroll noted Scroll.
Critics saw a political project. Political scientist Surendra Jondhale told Open the marches were "always meant to create trouble for this current state government" Open. Sharad Pawar rejected suggestions that sidelined Maratha leaders were behind them: "can you see any role of the NCP in these rallies?" Caravan.
What the government did
- October 2016 fee scheme: fee reimbursement under the Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj scheme, earlier for SC, ST and OBC students, extended to economically backward students with family income up to Rs 6 lakh (above Rs 2.5 lakh, only with 60% marks), plus hostel allowances for children of marginal farmers Asian Age Medical Dialogues. Congress called it nothing new.
- June 2017 commission referral: the quota question was sent to the State Backward Class Commission Free Press Journal.
- 9 August 2017 package: OBC education concessions extended to Maratha students PTI; fee concession in 605 courses; interest-free loans up to Rs 10 lakh for self-employment; skills training through the Annasaheb Patil Corporation; Rs 5 crore per district for hostels; a district-wise committee on cases filed under the Atrocities Act Governance Now; and a cabinet sub-committee to review welfare schemes PTI via Business Standard.
- Not granted: no job quota, and no amendment to the Atrocities Act Deccan Herald.
The Kopardi verdict and appeals
Charges were framed on 9 November 2016 under the IPC and the POCSO Act IANS via Gulf News. The prosecution examined 31 witnesses; Nikam said the case rested on circumstantial and forensic evidence. The defence questioned the POCSO charge and two witnesses IANS via The Quint.
On 18 November 2017 Additional Special Judge Suvarna Kevale convicted Jitendra alias Pappu Babulal Shinde, Santosh Gorakh Bhawal and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume. The prosecution said Shinde committed the crime and the other two conspired with him. On 29 November 2017 all three were sentenced to death Deccan Herald. Fadnavis said the trial had been completed "in a record time"; Congress and NCP leaders also welcomed the verdict PTI via Business Standard.
The state sought confirmation of the death sentences in the Bombay High Court (Confirmation Reference 7 of 2019), and the convicts appealed. In April 2022 the High Court allowed two of them to study through an open university while in Yerawada jail Outlook, with PTI. Shinde was found hanging in his cell at Yerawada on 10 September 2023; jail officials said he had been under psychiatric treatment and ordered an inquiry IANS via ETV Bharat Deccan Herald.
On 22 September 2026 a bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Ashish Chavan, hearing the appeals of Bhawal and Bhailume, decided to inspect the crime scene on 2 October 2026 before final arguments, saying it needed clarity on what witnesses could have seen LiveLaw.
What happened next and what is pending
The 30 August 2017 deadline passed without a job quota. In July 2018 the movement turned to bandhs and violence after a protester's death at Kaygaon, and in November 2018 the legislature passed a 16% quota on the commission's report Free Press Journal; that phase is covered in the Maratha quota agitation of 2018.
In June 2026, after a hunger strike by activist Manoj Jarange, the government issued an order making Maratha students eligible for all education concessions available to OBC students from 2026-27 PTI via Business Standard. The Kopardi death references were still being heard in the Bombay High Court as of late September 2026; no ruling was found in the sources reviewed.
Questions people ask
What was the Maratha Kranti Morcha?
It was a series of 58 silent, leaderless marches by the Maratha community between 9 August 2016 and 9 August 2017, organised under the Sakal Maratha Samaj. They started in Aurangabad and ended in Mumbai.
How many people attended the Maratha morchas?
Figures were disputed. In Pune on 25 September 2016, organisers claimed 20 lakh and police estimated up to 15 lakh. In Mumbai on 9 August 2017, police estimated about 3 lakh.
What did the Fadnavis government give the Marathas in 2017?
On 9 August 2017 it extended OBC-style education concessions, fee concessions in 605 courses, interest-free loans and hostel funds, and set up a cabinet sub-committee. It had already referred the quota question to the State Backward Class Commission in June 2017.
What was the Kopardi verdict?
An Ahmednagar special court convicted three men on 18 November 2017 and sentenced them to death on 29 November 2017. One died in jail in 2023; the Bombay High Court was still hearing the others' appeals in September 2026.
Sources
- Caravan: Calm before the storm: silent Maratha protests across Maharashtra, 6 Oct 2016
- Asian Age: Marathas take to the streets in Pune, 26 Sept 2016
- Free Press Journal: Maratha protests get Dalit, Muslim morchas going, 29 Sept 2016
- The Quint: Through OBC rally, Bhujbal tries to coerce govt, 3 Oct 2016
- Open: The Maratha-Dalit divide, 16 Sept 2016
- The Wire: Nikhil Wagle on the Maratha protests, 22 Sept 2016
- Asian Age: 50 per cent fee back for EBC students too, 14 Oct 2016
- Medical Dialogues (PTI): Govt to give fee waiver to students with less than Rs 6L family income, 15 Oct 2016
- Outlook: Quotas for the rulers, 21 Oct 2016
- Newslaundry: Are the attacks on Dalits in Maharashtra a conspiracy?, 16 Dec 2016
- Free Press Journal: Chronology of Maratha quota cases, 28 June 2019
- PTI via Business Standard: Marathas stage massive show in Mumbai for quotas, 9 Aug 2017
- Bridge Chronicle: Lakhs attend Maratha morcha at Azad Maidan, Aug 2017
- Governance Now: Fee concession and interest-free loans for Maratha students, Aug 2017
- Scroll: One year and 57 rallies later, silent Maratha mega rally in Mumbai finds its voice, 10 Aug 2017
- Deccan Herald: Maratha morchas' message loud and clear, 11 Aug 2017
- Scroll: "If our demands aren't met, we'll show what we are capable of", 28 Aug 2017
- Gulf News (IANS): Court finds 3 guilty in Kopardi rape, murder, 18 Nov 2017
- The Quint (IANS): Kopardi verdict, 18 Nov 2017
- Deccan Herald: Kopardi rape-murder case, all three get death, 29 Nov 2017
- PTI via Business Standard: Maha CM, political parties hail Kopardi verdict, 29 Nov 2017
- Open: The angry Maratha, 16 Aug 2018
- Outlook (PTI): Bombay HC permits two death row convicts to pursue studies, 29 Apr 2022
- ETV Bharat (IANS): Pune jail orders probe into Kopardi convict's suicide, 10 Sept 2023
- Deccan Herald: Death row convict in Kopardi case dies by suicide, 10 Sept 2023
- PTI via Business Standard: Maha govt extends OBC educational concessions to Maratha students, 6 June 2026
- LiveLaw: Kopardi case, Bombay High Court judges to visit spot before final arguments, 25 Sept 2026