‘File A Case Against Me, Not Students’: Rohit Pawar Slams Pune Police Over FIRs Against MPSC Protesters

Nationalist Congress Party MLA Rohit Pawar has strongly criticized Pune Police for registering two First Information Reports (FIRs) against students protesting against the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC). Pawar claimed that the crackdown on students was unjustified and driven by government pressure. He urged the students to continue their agitation at SM Joshi Bridge until MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar resigned.

The students had decided not to call off their protest until Bhimanwar stepped down, stating that no benefit would come to them as long as he remained in office. Pawar alleged that students had gathered after his speech on October 1 and questioned why they were being booked for participating in the protest. He accused the police of registering the FIRs against students who were not even present at the protest site.

Pawar also criticized the police for issuing late-night notices to students living in hostels and accused authorities of attempting to portray protesting students as terrorists. He warned that further action against students could make the protest difficult to control and stated that more than 50,000 students could join the agitation if the crackdown continued.