Pune: Protest March in Pune Over Alleged Demolition of 80 Homes Without Notice
Pune, 5th February 2026: Tensions rose in the city on Tuesday after members of the Zopadpatti Suraksha Dal staged a protest march to the District Collector’s office, alleging that nearly 80 homes in Wadgaon Dhayari were demolished without prior notice, leaving hundreds of residents displaced.
The organisation accused officials from the Khadakwasla Irrigation Department of carrying out the demolition without following due legal procedures. Calling the action unlawful, protesters marched from Fergusson College Road in Shivajinagar to the Pune Municipal Corporation headquarters, then to Irrigation Bhavan, and finally to the District Collector’s office, where they submitted a memorandum of demands.
The march was led by Bhagwanrao Vairat and included several activists and local residents. Organisers claimed that around 700 to 800 people, including a large number of women, participated in the demonstration.
Protesters called for action against the officials involved under provisions of the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 2015. They also sought the application of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, alleging that the demolition disproportionately affected Dalit families. The group said a complaint had been submitted to the State Human Rights Commission.
The organisation further urged authorities to implement court directives related to huts on government grazing land, referring to orders issued by the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court.
During the march, protesters also highlighted the plight of women sanitation workers employed for nearly a decade at Fergusson College under the Deccan Education Society. They alleged that the workers were denied minimum wages, provident fund benefits, medical coverage, and gratuity, in violation of labour laws, including the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, and the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970.
The group demanded penal action against the contractor concerned and called for blacklisting.
Following the demonstration, organisers said a meeting was held with Deccan Education Society President Raut, where discussions were described as positive. They claimed assurances were given that a written agreement would be prepared to extend due benefits to the workers.
Memorandums were also submitted to Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Assistant Chief Engineer (Irrigation) Shivaji Jadhav, and Deputy District Collector Jyoti Kadam, seeking immediate intervention.
