Pune police have denied permission for the MPSC student protest near the S.M. Joshi Bridge and Journalists’ Bhavan, ordering the participants to vacate the site immediately over traffic disruption and security concerns. Notices have been issued to 51 students and 29 private coaching and study-centre operators accused of continuing or supporting the unauthorised agitation.
The protest was organised by students raising various demands concerning the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s examination system and functioning. According to the report, the sit-in continued within the Pune City Police Commissionerate’s jurisdiction despite preventive orders being in force and without prior permission from the police.
The police rejected an application seeking permission for the protest on Wednesday. In doing so, they cited directions referred to during a hearing in the Bombay High Court concerning demonstrations on public roads, bridges and other traffic-sensitive locations. The police said protests should not obstruct traffic or create safety risks in such areas.
The notices cover both the participating students and coaching-class and study-room operators who allegedly provided direct or indirect assistance to the agitation. The police also referred to statements made during the protest about shutting down Pune, although the report does not specify the individuals who made those statements or whether any further action has been ordered on that account.
The S.M. Joshi Bridge and the area near Journalists’ Bhavan are located in an active central-city zone where any gathering can affect road movement and access around nearby public and institutional spaces. The police action therefore combines regulation of public assembly with the administration’s responsibility to keep traffic routes open and manage security in a high-use urban area.
Police officials have given the students written and oral instructions to vacate the area immediately. At the same time, the administration has indicated that it remains open to a lawful protest at an approved location. Students may seek permission to demonstrate near the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue or behind the district collector’s office, both of which have been identified as designated places for public agitations.
The police have said applications for permission at either alternative location would be considered positively. The report does not provide details of the students’ next course of action, the specific examination reforms they are seeking, or whether a fresh application has been filed for one of the proposed venues.
