MPSC Students Hold Symbolic Funeral Protest in Pune; Rohit Pawar Says Ashes of Their Dreams Will Be Sent to CM
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Sadashiv Peth, 6th October 2026: MPSC aspirants protesting at S.M. Joshi Bridge in Pune held a symbolic funeral procession on Tuesday, carrying a bier to represent what they described as the death of their dreams amid their ongoing agitation.
The protest, being led with the support of NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, entered its sixth day on Tuesday. The students carried the symbolic bier from S.M. Joshi Bridge towards the banks of the Mula-Mutha river, where they conducted a symbolic funeral and burnt the bier.
Addressing the protesters, Pawar said the ritual conducted on the banks of the river represented the “funeral of the dreams” of economically disadvantaged students.
He alleged that political considerations and the interests of close associates were being prioritised over the concerns of students.
“The politics of today has fallen to such a low level that those in power are concerned only about their friends and their political ego, while the dreams of students are being completely ignored,” Pawar said.
He further announced that a symbolic savdana ceremony would be held at 11 am on Wednesday in the presence of students. According to Pawar, the ashes from the symbolic funeral would be collected in an urn and sent through political leaders directly to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The ongoing agitation has included demands concerning the functioning of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, including the resignation of MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar. The protest has also focused on concerns over examination transparency and recruitment.
Pawar also questioned the handling of Bhimanwar’s resignation. He said that although the resignation was addressed to the Governor, it was handed over to the Chief Minister.
“The resignation should have gone to the Governor. Perhaps a friend handed it to another friend to exert emotional pressure on the Chief Minister,” Pawar alleged.
He further claimed that the government was hesitant to accept the resignation because it feared that doing so could lead to demands for the Chief Minister’s resignation over other issues, including drought and atrocities against women.
The claims regarding the resignation and the government’s motives were made by Pawar during the protest and represent his assessment of the situation.
The agitation at S.M. Joshi Bridge has attracted support from several political leaders, while the government and ruling-party leaders have questioned the political involvement in the students’ protest.
