Pune: MPSC aspirants remained firm on their demand for the chairperson’s resignation and refused to budge from SM Joshi Bridge on the ninth day on Friday though Vishrabaug police registered a case against 15 protesters amid state govt’s clarification that any action against the commission chief, Vivek Bhiwankar, could be taken following an inquiry.NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, actively supporting the protesters, was not named in the FIR. The MLA said, “Cancel the cases against students and register them against me.”Rohit questioned the police account of the protest on Oct 1, claiming that some students named in the FIR were not present at the site that day. “How did the police see Hrishikesh Gangurde, who exposed the paper leak, with Omkar Patil, Gajanan Shelke, Somnath Chavan and Sanket Kanse near Indulal Complex when they were at their native places?” he asked.Rohit claimed that the gender details of two job aspirants, Pramod Patil and Priyanka Chaudhary, had been recorded incorrectly in the FIR. “Looking at all this, one wonders if the officer who registered the FIR had come after leaking a paper himself,” he said.An officer from Vishrambaug police said some representatives of the protesters had approached the Pune police commissionerate on Sept 25, seeking permission to stage a protest on Oct 2. They were granted permission to hold the protest near S M Joshi bridge, subject to certain conditions.“The student representatives subsequently met the chief minister in Mumbai on Sept 30, following which their demands were reportedly accepted. They then informed the police that they had called off the protest scheduled for Oct 2,” the officer said.NCP (SP) MLA Rohit, on the other hand, accused govt of using police to pressure the protesters. He said, “When police start acting on orders of their masters, this is what happens. The students will not be intimidated by this pressure.”He said the cases against the MPSC aspirants were bailable and legal assistance had been arranged. “Instead of filing such false cases, govt should remove corrupt Bhimanwar from his post,” he said.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said state govt could not directly remove MPSC chairperson Bhimanwar. He said in Palghar, govt was ready for a judicial inquiry into the allegations but questioned the demand for Bhimanwar’s resignation over a paper leak that occurred before the latter took charge. “How can we directly seek his resignation for something that happened before his tenure?” Fadnavis said.“We have said we are ready for a judicial inquiry by a judge. The chairperson, former officials and any other officers found guilty will face action. If the inquiry finds the chairperson guilty, we will recommend to the President that he be removed under Article 317,” Fadnavis said.“This agitation initially belonged to MPSC aspirants. Now it has become a political agitation,” he said.The aspirants continued to insist on the chairperson’s resignation. They stressed it was central to restoring confidence in the MPSC examination process, particularly following the alleged paper leak in the recruitment examination for drug inspectors under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Three of the seven aspirants on hunger strike, Somnath Chavan, Hrishikesh Gangurde and Gajanan Shelke, called off their fast because of deteriorating health. They accepted milk from Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam.The protesters maintained that they should be allowed to continue with their peaceful agitation and sought fresh permission to demonstrate at the SM Joshi Bridge site. In their representation to the police, student representatives said the alleged drug inspector examination paper leak had seriously damaged aspirants’ confidence in the MPSC. They students also cited the Oct 7 Bombay high court hearing, arguing that the court had recognised their right to protest if they believed examinations were not being conducted fairly.MNS chief Raj Thackeray said he discussed the students’ demands with Fadnavis and sensed a positive response from the latter. “When I met the protesting MPSC students in Pune on Oct 5, I assured them that I would speak to the chief minister about their concerns. I had a detailed discussion with him on this issue today (Friday). I realised that Fadnavis is fully positive. I hope there will be good news regarding jobs for MPSC aspirants in the coming days,” he said.
