India, June 1 -- Following written assurances on various demands related to Maratha reservation, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil ended his indefinite hunger strike shortly after midnight on Sunday. The activist ended the hunger strike - his ninth, which commenced at 10am on Saturday at Antarwali Sarati, his native village in Jalna district in the Marathwada region - after state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and BJP MLC Prasad Lad handed over a 12-point proposal addressing key demands raised by him.

The protest this time was extreme, as Jarange-Patil sat in the open, without any shade under the blazing summer sun, and stayed without water, food, and even footwear.

Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha...