Pune police have rejected permission for competitive examination aspirants to continue their protest on the S M Joshi Bridge near Patrakar Bhavan, directing them to vacate the central Pune road and shift to an alternative location designated by the district administration.
Police said the sit-in had disrupted traffic movement and caused inconvenience to commuters. Authorities also cited public-order concerns while refusing permission for the students to continue their agitation at the same location.
The students had announced an indefinite protest from October 2 over a range of pending demands. Before the proposed agitation, student representatives met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on September 30. According to the administration, the discussions were positive and a resolution was reached on most of the issues raised by the students.
Following that meeting, student representatives submitted a written communication stating that the proposed agitation had been called off. Police have maintained that permission granted earlier for the protest therefore ceased to remain valid after the students withdrew the planned agitation.
The situation changed on October 1, when students gathered on the S M Joshi Bridge and began a sit-in without obtaining fresh permission, according to police. The bridge is located near Patrakar Bhavan in central Pune and is used by commuters moving through the area.
The police order means the students cannot continue their protest at the current site. The administration has told them that they may continue their agitation only after shifting to the alternative location identified by the district authorities.
The dispute highlights the operational tension between the right to organise a public protest and the administration’s responsibility to keep busy urban roads accessible. In this case, police have treated the bridge as an unsuitable location because the occupation affected traffic and created inconvenience for commuters.
The authorities’ position is that the earlier permission no longer applied after the proposed agitation was formally called off, while the students returned to the bridge and began a new sit-in on October 1. Any continuation of the protest at the alternative site will remain subject to the permissions and arrangements specified by the district administration.
