‘Stand For Women’: Pune Students Mobilise for Women’s Safety in Local Protest

Reported by Radhika Sharma and Shoaib Tadvi

Pune, 30th September 2026: Hundreds of students and professionals gathered near Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Statue on Wednesday, 30th September 2026.

Witnessing about 150-200 people, the protest was held in solidarity with the protests held in New Delhi against the rising violence against women, the cancellation of classes and curfews being imposed on students of Lady Shreeram College, Delhi University, the incident in Jamui, Bihar and the case of sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in a bus in Greater Noida (NCR) in August.

The rally was organised by Krishna Pandey, Akshara Jain, Saanvi, Sangprakash and Bajrang, all of them college students, organising the demonstration through social media channels.

“The protests going on in Delhi were very moving, we couldn’t be a part of those, but we wanted to organise like-minded people to come together in solidarity, right here in Pune. It took us 3-4 days to sort out permissions with the police and mobilise people,” says Krishna Pandey, one of the organisers.

Speaking to one of the volunteers, Shivanya Anurag, a third year media and communications student, “We are protesting because imposing curfews, and telling girls, who should be in classes and studying, are a part of one of the most prestigious colleges in India, to stay at home.”

“Curfews and other things are obviously not the main issue. The central issue is that we should telling our boys and men that they shouldn’t rape, instead of telling our women to not get assaulted,” she added.

Onlookers also joined in while visiting near-by institutions, but getting curious about the movement.

One of the onlookers, Sonali, said, “Witnessing protests and movements through social media has become a norm, but the rage that all women feel, constantly, is something that needs to be vocalised.”

The protest was held in the afternoon hours, starting from 12 Noon to 2pm. Police personnel and the organisers collaborated to make this effort into a safe and peaceful demonstration.

The rally took it upon itself to create a safe and comfortable atmosphere for each participant, some bringing in crates of water to distribute.

The demand for accountability comes after multiple instances of sexual violences against women, restrictions being imposed upon those not to blame and delays in justice.