Vishrambaug police in Pune have registered an FIR against 15 named individuals and other participants over a student protest that allegedly obstructed traffic on Shastri Road in Navi Peth on October 1. The case was registered at 12.36 am on October 9 and relates to allegations that protesters gathered without permission, violated prohibitory orders and continued the demonstration despite police instructions to disperse.
The FIR names Pramod Dattatray Patil, Akshay Rangrao Kamble, Aniket Shankar Deshmane, Pravin Mahadev Patil, Rishikesh Gangurde, Priyanka Chaudhary, Nitin Gite, Somnath Chavan, Omkar Patil, Gajanan Shelke, Ajit Kakade, Siddharth Panchange, Sanket Kanase, Siddharth Jambhulkar and Sahebrao Kshirsagar. The complaint also refers to other unnamed protesters who were allegedly part of the gathering outside Indulal Complex.
According to the complaint, student representatives had approached the Pune police commissioner’s office on September 25 seeking permission for a protest planned for October 2. They proposed Alka Talkies Chowk, Ahilya Abhyasika and S. M. Joshi Bridge as possible locations, and later sought approval for the bridge location. Police granted conditional permission on September 26.
The complaint states that a student delegation met the Maharashtra chief minister in Mumbai on September 30. After what the complaint describes as positive discussions and acceptance of the students’ demands, the representatives informed police in writing that the October 2 protest had been put on hold. Police subsequently notified them that the earlier permission had been cancelled.
The FIR alleges that students nevertheless assembled outside Indulal Complex at around 4 pm on October 1 without securing fresh permission. Participants allegedly raised slogans against the Maharashtra Public Service Commission and the state government, while several of the named individuals addressed the gathering.
Police have alleged that the protest obstructed the public road, caused substantial traffic congestion in the surrounding area and disrupted public order. The complaint further states that the senior police inspector repeatedly informed the participants that the gathering was unlawful and directed them to leave, but that the demonstration continued.
The case refers to prohibitory orders applicable within the Pune police commissionerate, including an order covering September 29 to October 12. It also cites restrictions governing demonstrations at specified locations. The FIR has been registered under Sections 189(2), 189(3), 189(5), 126(2), 223, 270 and 292 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951.
The allegations in the FIR have not been established by a court. The case places the protest within the administrative framework governing public assemblies in busy urban areas, where the choice of location, permission conditions and police directions can directly affect traffic movement and access to public roads.
Inspector Vikas Prakash Bhingardive has been assigned to investigate the case. The FIR follows the police account of the protest and the events surrounding the cancellation of the earlier permission.
