A protest seeking the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar disrupted traffic near Goodluck Cafe on Fergusson College Road in Pune for the second consecutive day on October 12, with police detaining student demonstrators after the gathering reportedly caused congestion extending about 500 metres.
The protest was organised by the Cockroach Janta Party near the Artists’ Corner area to support demonstrations being held across the country. Student protesters raised slogans including “Dictatorship will not work”, “Vande Mataram”, “Long live the revolution” and “Gyanesh Kumar, resign”.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Krishikesh Rawale said the gathering followed an appeal circulated on social media, which resulted in a large number of people assembling at the site. According to him, the crowd caused inconvenience to ordinary citizens and artists using the area, while traffic movement was affected along the road.
Rawale said police personnel repeatedly asked the protesters to clear the area. Action was taken after the crowd did not disperse and officials assessed that the situation could create a law-and-order concern, he said. The police detained the student demonstrators during the operation.
The congestion also left a vehicle carrying gas cylinders stuck in traffic, according to the police. Officials said the vehicle was moved to a safe location after completing the relevant legal procedure, in order to avoid a possible accident.
The police said blocking the road and causing inconvenience to citizens was not acceptable, and that action against those violating rules was part of their duty. The incident highlights the operational challenge of managing public demonstrations in busy mixed-use streets, where pedestrian activity, cultural spaces and through-traffic compete for limited road space. No further details on cases registered against the detained protesters were provided in the report.
