The MPSC protest in Pune could shift from the area near S M Joshi Bridge to Alka Chowk on Tilak Road if police do not cooperate with demonstrators, NCP MLA Rohit Pawar said on Thursday, raising the possibility of fresh traffic and crowd-management challenges in the city centre.
The agitation, which began on October 1 and entered its ninth day, is being held by Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants. The protesters are demanding the resignation of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar over alleged irregularities in the commission’s functioning and are seeking other changes to address their concerns.
Police asked the demonstrators to vacate the site near S M Joshi Bridge, citing the absence of permission, traffic congestion and disruption to residents’ daily lives. Officials suggested that the protesters apply for permission to hold the agitation near the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue close to the district collector’s office. Police also indicated that the request would be considered favourably.
However, Pawar and the protesting students refused to leave the existing site. The disagreement led to a brief period of tension between the protesters and police, with the location becoming the immediate point of dispute between the right to protest and the administration’s responsibility to regulate traffic and public movement.
“If the police do not cooperate with us, we will go and sit at Alka Chowk. Vehicles are being deliberately sent by the police to make it appear that our protest is causing traffic congestion. We are not troubling anyone, so do not trouble us. If we sit at Alka Chowk, we will not move,” Pawar said.
The proposed alternative location at Alka Chowk would place the agitation on Tilak Road, another important urban movement corridor in central Pune. Any relocation would require coordination over permissions, pedestrian movement, vehicle diversions and the use of public space, although no formal shift had been announced in the supplied report.
The dispute also highlights the administrative challenge of managing prolonged public protests in dense urban areas. Police have cited the impact on traffic and residents, while the protesters have rejected the request to move, arguing that the existing demonstration is not causing the disruption claimed by authorities. The competing positions have so far not been resolved.
The protest is expected to continue at the site near S M Joshi Bridge while discussions over permission and location remain pending. Police have proposed the area near the district collector’s office as an alternative, and the protesters have warned that they may move to Alka Chowk if they do not receive cooperation.
