MPSC students march in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Rohit Pawar backs Munde or V. Radha as chief
Thousands of MPSC students marched against alleged paper leaks, as NCP leader Rohit Pawar demanded a capable chairperson and offline exams in November
Student anger over the functioning of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) spilled onto the streets of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar once again. Thousands of students took out a protest march in the city on Thursday, the 11th, against an alleged paper leak. The march began at Amkhas Maidan and went straight to the office of the divisional commissioner, after which it turned into a rally at Delhi Gate.
Legislator Rohit Pawar joined the march. Speaking in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Friday, he said the committee set up by the government to bring transparency to MPSC examinations was welcome, but added that setting up a committee or an SIT alone would not solve the problem. Pawar demanded that capable officers such as Tukaram Munde or V. Radha be appointed as MPSC chairperson.
Students raised three main demands at the march: that the Class 'C' examination be held in November itself, that it be conducted offline, and that the chief minister speak directly with students to understand their difficulties. Students and student leaders present on stage aired their grievances about MPSC's functioning. Rohit Pawar appealed to students to set aside differences of caste, party and organisation and unite, saying only that would bring them success.
Heavy police deployment was in place in the city in view of the march. A delegation of students met the divisional commissioner and submitted a memorandum of their demands. Organisers said similar student marches had earlier been held in Pune, twice in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and in Solapur and Satara. A similar protest march by students is due to be held in Latur on Saturday.
Students also demanded that the government seek the resignation of the MPSC chairperson, saying SITs had been formed in several cases but no action had followed for years. Responding to criticism from opponents, Rohit Pawar said he was accused of speaking on the paper leak issue because he had no other work. He hit back, saying the government itself had admitted paper leaks in some examinations and had been forced to postpone the Class 'C' exam, calling it a failure of the government.
