Pune MPSC Protest: Journalist Assaulted During Students’ Agitation, Media Boycotts Coverage
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Sadashiv Peth, 1st October 2026: The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) students’ protest in Pune, led by NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, came under scrutiny on Thursday after a journalist covering the agitation was allegedly abused, pushed and assaulted by some protesters.
Nikhil Sukre, a journalist with Jai Maharashtra news channel, was allegedly manhandled while reporting from the protest site on Lal Bahadur Shastri Road. Following the incident, journalists from several media organisations decided to boycott coverage of the agitation and left the spot.
According to reports, several journalists were present at the site to cover the protest when an argument broke out between some protesters and members of the media. The protesters allegedly questioned the journalists, asking who had called them to the site and telling them to leave.
The argument reportedly escalated, following which Sukre was allegedly abused, pushed and assaulted. Jai Maharashtra reported that one person allegedly slapped the journalist. Police intervened and took the person away from the protest site. Additional police personnel were also deployed to prevent the situation from escalating.
A senior police officer told Punekar News, “Preliminary investigation has revealed that he was among the student protesters.”
The incident led to strong resentment among journalists present at the protest. Media representatives decided not to cover the agitation in protest against the alleged assault and misbehaviour with journalists.
According to Jai Maharashtra, some journalists also demanded an apology from Pawar before resuming coverage of his programmes in Pune.
Pawar condemned the incident and called for the immediate arrest of the person involved. In a statement posted on social media, he alleged that the person was an ABVP worker and claimed that he suspected the individual had been deliberately sent into the protest.
These claims have not been independently established.
The incident also drew criticism from BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban, who targeted Pawar over the episode. Ban alleged that the protest had turned into an exercise in intimidation under the guise of raising students’ issues and questioned the manner in which the agitation was being conducted.
Ban had earlier accused Pawar of using the MPSC issue for political purposes. Pawar has been supporting the demands of MPSC aspirants, who have been protesting over various issues concerning examinations, recruitment and appointments. Recent protests have included demands concerning the functioning of the commission and its chairman.
The latest incident has shifted attention from the students’ demands to the alleged assault on the journalist and the subsequent boycott by media representatives.
Police are looking into the incident, and further action will depend on the findings of the investigation, officials said.
