Mumbai: Thousands of students and job aspirants from across Maharashtra took out a march in Pune on Monday, protesting against alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), confusion surrounding exam results, and demanding the resignation of Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar.
The students gathered near the Omkareshwar Temple in old Pune on Monday morning for their ‘Aakrosh Morcha’, and marched towards the Pune District Collector’s Office. NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule and MLA Rohit Pawar also joined the march.
The protest culminated at the District Collector’s Office with opposition leaders’ speeches, demanding accountability from the government.
The students’ anger in the state has been building over a wide set of concerns about alleged examination irregularities, transparency, delays and uncertainty surrounding examination results. One of their major concerns has been around the Drug Inspector examination in January whose question was allegedly leaked.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Cockroach Janta Party’s Abhijit Dipke have extended their support to their protest, as well as the 7 September march in Pune.
Apart from the resignation of the MPSC chairman, they have also demanded the secretary be removed, and both of them immediately replaced with officers with clean records.
Responding to the students’ demand, MPSC Chairman issued a detailed statement on X on 2 September, saying the irregularities being alleged happened before he took charge.
“The incident occurred in January 2026. I took oath as Chairman of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission on 18th February 2026 and assumed charge of the office on 3rd March 2026,” he said.
However, the MPSC has taken the matter very seriously, and filed a complaint with the police, he said. “The Commission has constituted an internal high-level committee to suggest necessary preventive and security measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur.”
He further said that since assuming charge as Chairman, his entire focus has been on further strengthening the credibility, transparency, efficiency and security of the examination and recruitment processes of the MPSC.
Statement by Shri Vivek Bhimanwar, Chairman Maharashtra Public Service Commission…
Mumbai/Dated 2nd September 2026
PRESS STATEMENT
(Regarding the Drug Inspector Examination)
1. It has come to my notice that certain personal allegations are being made against me in connection… pic.twitter.com/KLGLdQOr9m
— Maharashtra Public Service Commission (@mpsc_office) September 2, 2026
“In view of the increased recruitment responsibility entrusted to the Commission, several important reforms have been undertaken to make the examination and recruitment processes more robust, transparent, secure and efficient,” he added.
Support for students’ protest
In a post on X, LoP Rahul Gandhi said thousands of students have been protesting peacefully in Maharashtra, and “the reason isn’t just one exam or recruitment, but a trust that’s been shattered by the entire system”.
“Whether it’s the central or state government, every student is tormented by the BJP regime. Paper leaks, stalled recruitments, the unbearable cost of education, inhumane conditions in hostels, food like poison, fraud in DBT…and now, they’ve seized control of a constitutional body like MPSC and destroyed its credibility.”
महाराष्ट्र में हजारों छात्र सड़कों पर हैं, शांतिपूर्ण तरीके से आंदोलनरत हैं – इसकी वजह सिर्फ एक परीक्षा या भर्ती नहीं, पूरे सिस्टम से टूट चुका भरोसा है।
चाहे वो केंद्र की हो या राज्य की, BJP सरकार से हर छात्र त्रस्त है। पेपर लीक, रुकी हुई भर्तियां, शिक्षा की असहनीय लागत, हॉस्टल…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 6, 2026
“Every demand from students for their successful future is justified. The government must listen to their voice and act immediately,” he added.
At the Pune protest march, Supriya Sule said it is unfortunate that instead of studies, students have to come out on the road to protest. The government should listen to their demands, she added.
📍ओंकारेश्वर मंदिर चौक ते जिल्हाधिकारी कार्यालय, पुणे ⏭️ 07-09-2026 ➡️ विद्यार्थ्यांच्या हक्कांसाठी आयोजित विद्यार्थी आक्रोश मोर्चातून लाईव्ह https://t.co/gOL5wA019Z
— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) September 7, 2026
Rohit Pawar also participated in the protest.
“There is no politics here. These students are protesting for their demands. I request the government to listen to their demands. The MPSC Chairman has corruption charges against him. And so the students are demanding he be removed. If the government is trying to play with students’ lives, students will not keep quiet.”
Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam and local Shiv Sena UBT leaders also participated in the protest.
Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aditya Thackeray was in Pune on Sunday and he met the students to extend his party’s support.
The students also demanded a probe into alleged irregularities in Group-B examinations, including alleged errors during the evaluation of papers for the State Services Main Examination 2025 and the Agriculture Services Examination.
The drug inspector exam
Besides, students demanded that the report submitted by the Mumbai Crime Branch after its inquiry into the MPSC’s Drug Inspector exam be made public and all examinations conducted during the tenure of Under Secretary Abhijit Lendwe, who is currently under arrest in connection with the case, be subjected to forensic audit.
The case pertains to the offline screening test conducted on 22 March for the posts of Drug Inspector (Group-B) under the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Department.
The Mumbai police has arrested seven people including MPSC officials and Abhijit Ganpatrao Lendwe, director of Kautilya Academy in Nandurbar and a female candidate. They are accused of allegedly accessing the question paper ahead of the test, compiling them into a separate set, and distributing it to unauthorised persons. They were arrested last month.
The screening examination was conducted offline at six divisional headquarters across Maharashtra on March 22. The result of the examination was declared on June 12, after which 506 candidates were found eligible for the interview stage.
Of these, 485 candidates were found to be eligible after the interview process that was held between July 1 to July 22.
However, complaints concerning the conduct of the screening examination were received by the commission between July 22 and 26 through e-mail from some candidates as well as public representatives.
According to the complaints, some candidates had allegedly received the question paper or questions before the examination. It was also alleged that the question material had been made available through social media and other electronic means.Taking note of the seriousness and sensitivity of the allegations, the MPSC approached the Mumbai Police Commissioner on 27 July and requested an inquiry into the complaints.
The students have also demanded that the Group-C preliminary examination scheduled for October 25, 2026, be conducted in a completely transparent manner. They also called for the revival of the stenographer post.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)