Pune police have registered an FIR against 15 named individuals and other participants over an MPSC student protest that allegedly blocked traffic on Shastri Road in Navi Peth on October 1, days after police permission for a separate demonstration had been cancelled.
The case was registered by Vishrambaug police at 12.36 am on October 9. According to the complaint, protesters gathered outside Indulal Complex without fresh permission, raised slogans against the Maharashtra Public Service Commission and the state government, and continued the demonstration despite repeated instructions from police to disperse.
The FIR names Pramod Dattatray Patil, Akshay Rangrao Kamble, Aniket Shankar Deshmane, Pravin Mahadev Patil, Rishikesh Gangurde, Priyanka Chaudhary, Nitin Gite, Somnath Chavan, Omkar Patil, Gajanan Shelke, Ajit Kakade, Siddharth Panchange, Sanket Kanase, Siddharth Jambh Kulkarni, Sanket Kanase, Siddharth Jambhulk ar and Sahebrao Kshirsagar. The complaint also refers to other unnamed protesters who were allegedly involved in the gathering.
Police records cited in the complaint state that student representatives had approached the Pune police commissioner’s office on September 25 to seek permission for a protest planned for October 2. They proposed Alka Talkies Chowk, Ahilya Abhyasika and S. M. Joshi Bridge as possible venues, and later sought approval for the bridge location. Police granted conditional permission on September 26.
The complaint says a student delegation met the Maharashtra chief minister in Mumbai on September 30. After what the complaint describes as positive discussions and acceptance of the students’ demands, representatives informed police in writing that the October 2 protest had been put on hold. Police then informed them that the earlier permission had been cancelled.
Despite that cancellation, the complaint alleges that students assembled outside Indulal Complex at around 4 pm on October 1 without obtaining fresh permission. Police have alleged that the gathering obstructed the public road, caused substantial congestion in the surrounding area and disrupted public order. The senior police inspector is also alleged to have repeatedly told participants that the gathering was unlawful and directed them to leave.
The case invokes Sections 189(2), 189(3), 189(5), 126(2), 223, 270 and 292 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. The complaint also refers to prohibitory orders in force within the Pune police commissionerate, including an order covering September 29 to October 12 and restrictions on demonstrations at specified locations.
The FIR records the police version of events; the allegations will be subject to investigation and due legal process. Inspector Vikas Prakash Bhingardive has been assigned to investigate the case.
