The MPSC protest in Pune entered its eighth day on Thursday as students continued to demand action over alleged examination paper leaks, greater transparency in recruitment and the filling of pending government posts. The agitation is taking place near the S. M. Joshi Bridge, where students have said they will not withdraw until their demands are addressed.
The students are seeking action in the alleged paper-leak case, the resignation of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission chairperson, transparent examination procedures and progress on delayed recruitment. Their protest has highlighted the dependence of thousands of candidates on competitive examinations for government employment and the concerns raised when the integrity of those examinations is questioned.
A student addressing the protest said discussions in libraries, messes and tea stalls would not resolve the issue and urged more candidates to join what the protesters described as a struggle over their future. The comments reflected the central demand of the agitation: that examination results and recruitment decisions should be based on a process that candidates can trust.
Former Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope, speaker Nitin Banugade-Patil and former judge B. G. Kolse-Patil visited the protest site on Thursday and expressed support for the students. Tope said the government was responsible for maintaining transparency in examinations and taking strict action against those who harmed students’ futures. He called for a detailed investigation into the alleged paper leak and punishment for those found responsible.
Kolse-Patil also addressed the protesters and urged them not to fear imprisonment while fighting for their rights. His remarks came as the agitation faced pressure from the police to clear the site. Police announcements reportedly indicated that the protesters should vacate the area, but the students maintained that they had initially received permission to hold the protest there and questioned why they were now being asked to leave.
Nationalist Congress Party legislator Rohit Pawar, who was present at the protest, said the students would not move until their demands were met. He warned that if the police attempted to remove them forcibly, the protesters would shift their sit-in to Lokmanya Tilak Chowk. The police response and the students’ insistence on continuing at the site have added a public-space and law-and-order dimension to the examination dispute.
The protest has also taken a toll on some participants. Students Rishikesh Gangurde and Gajanan Shelke were admitted to hospital during the night after their blood sugar levels fell following five days of fasting. After treatment, both returned to the protest site. The report said seven students, including Gangurde and Shelke, were continuing their hunger strike near the S. M. Joshi Bridge.
Gangurde alleged that examination papers had been sold for large sums, claiming that an agriculture inspector paper was available for Rs 50 lakh and a Group B paper for Rs 60 lakh. He further alleged that a ‘master paper’ containing 90 of 100 questions had been circulated through a network of intermediaries. These allegations were made by the protesting student and were not independently established in the supplied report.
The students have demanded that the Group B 2025 examination be cancelled immediately and that a Special Investigation Team conduct a detailed inquiry. The next steps in the dispute will depend on the government and the commission’s response to the students’ demands, the handling of the protest site and any formal investigation into the allegations.
