Pune, September 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants have postponed their planned agitation in Pune from September 27 to October 2 following a request from Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, student representatives and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar said on Friday.
The decision was taken after discussions with the police, who cited the deployment of security personnel during the 12-day Ganeshotsav festivities. The student representatives agreed to defer the protest, saying they did not want to add to the pressure on police personnel deployed for festival duties.
The aspirants will now begin a peaceful satyagraha on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, on S M Joshi Road opposite the Press Club in Pune. According to the statement issued after the meeting, Pune Police have indicated that formal permission would be granted for the demonstration on the revised date.
Rohit Pawar and the student representatives said the agitation would continue until their key demands were addressed. Their demands include the immediate resignation or removal of the MPSC chairman, appointment of an administrator after consultation with student bodies, and conducting state competitive examinations exclusively in offline mode.
The students have also sought a standardised nominal examination-card system, citing the Rs 100 examination-card model in Rajasthan, as well as immediate initiation of recruitment for around 70,000 vacant government posts across Maharashtra.
Pawar said the state government could still prevent the proposed satyagraha by holding discussions with the students. He said a list of student representatives had already been submitted to facilitate talks and maintained that the agitation could be called off if the government accepted the demands.
The protest comes amid continuing concerns among MPSC aspirants over examination procedures and alleged irregularities. The latest developments include further arrests in the alleged Drug Inspector examination paper-leak case. Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested four more people, including two candidates and two alleged middlemen, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 11, according to police.
Pawar has alleged that the paper-leak episode exposed systemic problems within the commission and has called for action against those responsible. His allegations regarding the functioning of the commission and the need for its overhaul remain political claims.
The October 2 protest is expected to bring together student representatives and political leaders as the aspirants press for changes in the MPSC examination and recruitment system.
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