MPSC Paper-Leak Row: What Pune’s Protesting Students Are Demanding

Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants are prtotesting through the day and late into the night in Pune as their demands over alleged paper leaks, recruitment delays and the commission’s functioning remain unresolved.

The MPSC has cancelled its Drug Inspector recruitment process following examination irregularities. Protesters, however, are seeking wider action, including the resignation of chairperson Vivek Bhimanwar.

Demonstrations are underway at three locations, with some groups demanding objective while others are demanding a descriptive format for the examination. Sharad Pawar has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to hold talks with student representatives.

What Triggered The Protests?

The controversy concerns the Drug Inspector screening examination held offline on March 22 at six divisional headquarters in Maharashtra. MPSC had advertised the posts on July 29, 2025, and declared the screening results on June 12.

According to news agency ANI, 506 candidates qualified for interviews, of whom 488 were interviewed between July 1 and July 22. The commission subsequently issued a provisional general merit list comprising 485 eligible and three ineligible candidates.

Between July 22 and July 26, candidates and public representatives submitted email complaints alleging that some applicants had received the question paper or questions on March 20, two days before the examination. The complaints claimed that the material was subsequently circulated through social media or other electronic channels.

MPSC began a preliminary inquiry into the complaints and later cancelled the entire recruitment process following irregularities.

Why Has The Protest Continued?

Students say the cancellation does not address their broader grievances about examination transparency and pending recruitment. Those involved in the renewed agitation said on Sunday that the government had yet to announce a concrete decision on their demands.

For candidates preparing for competitive examinations, alleged malpractice raises concerns about the fairness of selection and the uncertainty caused by cancelled recruitment processes.

MP Omraje Nimbalkar, who visited the protest on Sunday, said examinations were directly linked to students’ futures. He warned that question-paper leaks could force cancellations, causing hardship to aspirants who had prepared for the tests.

What Do The Students Want?

The demonstration near SM Joshi Bridge, adjoining Garware College and supported by MLA Rohit Pawar, is demanding Bhimanwar’s immediate resignation and objective examinations for upcoming MPSC tests.

A second group on Shastri Road also wants the objective format retained. Students at Alka Talkies–Tilak Chowk are pressing for the opposite: adoption of the descriptive format and rejection of objective examinations.

The disagreement over the pattern has added a separate issue to the agitation over alleged malpractice and recruitment delays.

What Assurances Have Been Announced?

After meeting a student delegation at his Shivajinagar residence on Sunday, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar called Fadnavis and urged him to intervene.

“Some student representatives came to meet me. A way must be found to resolve their agitation and demands. There should be dialogue. On one side, the CM or his colleagues and, on the other, some student representatives should hold discussions. If there is no dialogue, problems will not be resolved,” Pawar said.

He urged the chief minister to examine the matter after returning to Mumbai from Nagpur and said steps to resolve it should be taken with the students’ consent.

MP Murlidhar Mohol said the government was taking a positive stance and that he had contacted representatives at the protest sites, asking them to end the agitation.

Nimbalkar said the MPSC secretary had been transferred. He also said he would accompany a student delegation to meet Fadnavis.

Which Political Leaders Have Extended Support?

Leaders from several parties have visited the demonstrations. MNS chief Raj Thackeray is scheduled to join the protest at 4 pm on Monday, supporting demands for transparency and Bhimanwar’s resignation.

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Dipke also addressed students, linking their agitation to protests seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation in Delhi.

“Let us fight both battles together. Maharashtra has that strength, and we have that strength in our Marathi blood. We can take care of Maharashtra as well as Delhi, and we will take both wickets together, ‘Gyanu’ there and Bhimanwar here. Then we will celebrate together,” he said.

Despite the recruitment cancellation and assurances of intervention, students continued demonstrating at all three locations, awaiting decisions on their remaining demands.