The MPSC protest in Pune escalated on Thursday after NCP MLA Rohit Pawar warned that Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants would move their agitation to Alka Chowk on Tilak Road if police did not cooperate with them at the current site near S M Joshi Bridge.
The protest, which began on October 1, had entered its ninth day on Friday. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar, along with changes to address their concerns over the commission’s functioning and alleged irregularities affecting aspirants.
Police asked the protesters to vacate the site near S M Joshi Bridge, citing the absence of permission, traffic congestion and disruption to residents’ daily lives. The authorities suggested that the aspirants apply for permission to hold the agitation near the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue close to the district collector’s office. Police reportedly assured the protesters that such a request would be considered favourably.
Pawar and the protesting students, however, refused to leave the existing location. The disagreement led to a brief spell of tension between the protesters and police, with the dispute centred on whether the current site could continue to be used for the agitation.
“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, according to the report.
The disagreement highlights the operational challenge of managing sustained public demonstrations in busy parts of Pune. The site near S M Joshi Bridge is connected to a road network used by daily commuters, while Alka Chowk on Tilak Road is also a prominent urban junction. Any relocation would therefore require coordination between the protesters, police and civic authorities over permissions, crowd management and traffic movement.
The protesters’ demands remain focused on the MPSC chairman’s resignation and other changes linked to the commission’s functioning. The agitation has continued even as police sought to shift it to a location near the district collector’s office, where the administration could process a formal permission request.
At the protest site, the demonstrators also paid tribute to actor Nana Patekar. Pawar described Patekar as a sensitive and talented personality with a strong sense of social responsibility, recalling his simplicity, forthrightness and humanitarian outlook. The next step in the dispute is expected to depend on police cooperation and the protesters’ decision on whether to seek permission for an alternative location.
