Pune: GST Officers in Maharashtra Begin Agitation Over Pending Demands; Black Ribbon Protest, Mass Leave Planned

Pune, 10th December 2025: Officers of the Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax (GST) department launched a phased agitation on Monday to press for their long-pending demands, marking the beginning of a statewide protest after repeated communications with the administration failed to bring results.

The agitation began with a door-to-door awareness campaign among officers on Monday, followed by slogan-shouting outside the state GST headquarters in Yerawada. Members of the officers’ association said they were compelled to take this step after multiple written representations, meetings and discussions with senior officials failed to yield any concrete decisions.

The organisation announced that all officers will report to work wearing black ribbons on Tuesday as a symbolic protest. If the demands remain unaddressed, the protest will escalate further with a “community leave” action planned for Wednesday, effectively signalling a coordinated mass leave across the department.

Vice-president Vikas Shewale, joint secretary Dr Kirti-Raj Jadhav, Sangita Darekar, and members Praveen Kale, Abhijit Gaikwad and Pooja Dongapure were among those who led the agitation, along with a large turnout of GST officers from across the Pune region.

The officer representatives reiterated that they remain open to dialogue but will continue their planned protest steps until the administration responds to their demands. Further phases of the agitation are expected if no resolution is reached.