MPSC aspirants ended their Pune protest after the Maharashtra government announced an inquiry panel into alleged recruitment irregularities and paper leaks. The immediate fallout saw chairman Vivek Bhimanwar go on leave while the state accepted several reform demands.
Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants late on Sunday night ended their 10-day protest after the state government set up a committee to look into alleged irregularities in the recruitment body, including paper leaks. The protesters had been demanding an enquiry, reforms in the commission and the removal of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar.
Soon after the government’s assurance, Bhimanwar said he had gone on leave until the enquiry was completed. One of the aspirants’ representatives, Vivekanad Patil, said the agitation had been called off for now after the government agreed to most of their demands.
A state government delegation led by minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met the protesters and told them that their demand for an enquiry committee had been accepted. The panel will have former judge Dilip Bhosale as chairman, senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as secretary, IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge PD Naik.
The aspirants, who had been protesting at SM Joshi Bridge in Pune, said their main demand was Bhimanwar’s removal.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who had joined the protest, suggested that since resignation could take time, the government should keep Bhimanwar away from the chairman’s post until the inquiry was over. The suggestion led to confusion at the protest site, with some aspirants agreeing and others saying they would not withdraw unless Bhimanwar was removed.
Amid the uncertainty, it was decided that Bhosale would speak to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He returned after about 15 minutes and told the protesters that the government had agreed to their demand. He then appealed to them to end the agitation.
After that, Patil said the protest was being withdrawn for the time being.
Bhosale also told the protesters that several other demands would be addressed. These included withdrawal of cases against some representatives of the agitation, recruitment to 70,000 posts over three years, an increase in the number of seats in the Group C examination scheduled for January, and background checks on the MPSC chairman and secretary before their appointment.
Pawar welcomed Mundhe’s inclusion in the committee and said, “We hope the committee will have the freedom to work properly.”
Earlier in the day, he had asked the government to clarify its stand on Bhimanwar by Sunday evening, saying, “The next course of action will be announced on Sunday evening.”
He also said nearly 25 lakh students were directly or indirectly affected, and urged Fadnavis to prioritise the aspirants’ concerns “over his friendship with MPSC chairman Bhimanwar.”
“Representatives of the protesting students have submitted a draft outlining proposed reforms to cleanse the commission, and the students have endorsed the document.”
He also alleged that the government was ignoring the protesters because many of them came from poor families, and said the agitation could take a different turn if students, their family members and other citizens joined in large numbers.
In a post on X, Bhimanwar said, “The state government has announced a judicial enquiry into the MPSC paper leak case. Throughout my entire life, I have always prioritised ethics. Therefore, I have decided to go on leave during this period instead of continuing to serve in the post until this inquiry is completed.”
