Pune: The protest by police sub-inspector (PSI) aspirants intensified in Pune on Friday over the delayed recruitment advertisement and the demand to extend the age limit by one year. Thousands of exam aspirants have been staging a sit-in agitation near Baba Bhide Bridge in the Deccan area since last night, demanding immediate government intervention. Adding momentum to the protest, Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil arrived at the agitation site on Friday evening and declared that he would not leave until the students’ demands were resolved.
Jarange Patil contacted an officer on special duty (OSD) in the chief minister’s office over the phone from the agitation site, and reached out to several senior political leaders, urging them to resolve the issue without delay. “I am sitting here for the students, and I will not get up until their problem is solved. Whenever I sit on an agitation, the issue gets resolved. This time too, it will happen,” Jarange Patil said. He also issued a stern warning to the government: “If this issue is not resolved, just remember that municipal elections are round the corner.”
The agitation began a day earlier on Shastri Road and has continued into the second day. The aspirants allege that the recruitment advertisement for the PSI posts was released late, which has resulted in many candidates becoming age-ineligible despite years of preparation.
“We have spent five to six years preparing for this exam. Because the advertisement was delayed, many of us are now overage. We are only asking for one year of age relaxation,” said Siddhart Konde, a protesting aspirant. Another aspirant Pooja Gilbile added, “The government must understand our situation and take an immediate decision.”
{{/usCountry}}“We have spent five to six years preparing for this exam. Because the advertisement was delayed, many of us are now overage. We are only asking for one year of age relaxation,” said Siddhart Konde, a protesting aspirant. Another aspirant Pooja Gilbile added, “The government must understand our situation and take an immediate decision.”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile Vishrambaug police registered an FIR on Friday against the protestors, stating that several students, along with a group of 30-40 others, gathered unlawfully near Patrya Maruti Chowk, Alka Chowk, Ahilya Shikshan Mandal, Hotel Janjira and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj School on Shastri Road in Navi Peth ahead of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Non-Gazetted Group-B Combined Competitive Examination, 2025, scheduled for January 4, 2026. The students allegedly raised slogans and staged protests and demonstrations against the MPSC and the Maharashtra government, demanding an increase in the age limit for the examination.
The FIR further states that during the inquiry, it emerged that the protest was organised following prior planning and conspiracy. “The owners and administrators of certain Telegram and coaching-related groups, along with others, allegedly used their mobile phones to instigate and provoke students to assemble at the above locations and participate in the protest,” it says.
Further, the FIR reads, “the protest was organised and carried out without obtaining prior permission. The gathering violated prohibitory orders issued by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Branch, Pune, under Section 37(1)(2)(3) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. These orders were in effect across the city police commissionerate limits from 12:01am on December 23, 2025, to midnight on January 5, 2026, for a period of 14 days. By unlawfully assembling and raising slogans against the MPSC and the state government, the accused violated the said prohibitory orders.”
The complaint has been registered on behalf of the government against the accused under Sections 45, 46, 189(2)(3) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Sections 135, 112, 117 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Meanwhile, the agitation has drawn political attention. MLA Rohit Pawar and Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal have urged the state government to address the students’ demands swiftly. Rohit Pawar specifically requested that the FIR registration should not affect the students’ future, emphasising that the protest has been peaceful and the aspirants have been pursuing justice through legitimate channels for months.
Activist Bacchu Kadu pointed out that despite six months of consistent follow-ups, including letters through more than 80 representatives, the government has not provided any relief. He warned that students may escalate the agitation if their concerns are ignored, underlining that peaceful protests have so far been the only way for aspirants to make their voices heard.