Earlier in the day, Mumbai Police evicted protesters from Azad Maidan, where activist Manoj Jarange had been leading an indefinite hunger strike demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category

Officials cited unruly behaviour and repeated violations of conditions set by the Bombay High Court as the reason for the clearance

The court had earlier observed that the agitation had virtually paralysed the city and instructed demonstrators to ensure that roads and public places were vacated to restore normalcy

After the Maratha quota agitators were asked to vacate Azad Maidan and surrounding areas, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was left with the massive task of cleaning up the mess left behind

Meanwhile, the state government is under mounting pressure to break the deadlock. A sub-committee on Maratha reservation was scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning to deliberate on possible solutions