The Pune MPSC protest entered its tenth day on Saturday amid allegations by NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar that police were filing cases and issuing notices against participating students to weaken the agitation. Pawar said he met senior police officials at Vishrambaug police station and submitted applications seeking permission for the protest.
According to Pawar, police action was being directed at students rather than at him, even though he had participated in the agitation as a people’s representative. He demanded that a case be registered against him as well, alleging that the police were selectively targeting students involved in the protest.
The protest, which has continued in Pune for nine days before Saturday’s proceedings, is centred on a demand for the resignation of the MPSC chairperson. Pawar alleged that the police were issuing notices and filing cases as part of an attempt to end the agitation. His comments were reported by The Indian Express, which did not carry a response from the Pune police in the supplied report.
Pawar also condemned the alleged use of terms including “terrorists”, “extremists” and “spies” for protesting students. He described the participants as poor students and children of farmers and labourers, and said they represented Maharashtra’s future. He directed criticism at the Pune police commissioner and appealed to the chief minister to intervene.
The episode places the administration of public protest at the centre of the dispute. Students have continued their agitation while the police have, according to Pawar’s account, pursued legal action and issued notices. The available report does not specify the number of cases filed, the sections invoked, the number of notices issued or the police’s stated grounds for taking action.
Pawar said he had approached senior officers at Vishrambaug police station to request permission for the protest. The report does not state whether permission was granted, rejected or subject to specific conditions. It also does not provide details of any formal response from the MPSC chairperson or the state government to the students’ resignation demand.
For the students, the immediate issue is whether the protest can continue without further legal action against participants. For the administration, the dispute involves the balance between regulating a public gathering and responding to allegations that enforcement is being used to deter participation. Those questions remain unresolved in the supplied account.
Pawar said the agitation would continue until the MPSC chairperson resigned and reiterated his demand that the police register a case against him. The next developments will depend on the police response to his applications and on any decision by the authorities regarding permission and action against the protesting students.
