Pune, 7th October 2026: Mayor Manjusha Nagpure has challenged MLA Rohit Pawar to shut down Pune if he intends to turn the ongoing student agitation into a citywide bandh. She said Punekars have supported students from across Maharashtra but should not be subjected to further disruption.
Nagpure said thousands of students come to Pune to build their careers and that the city has always welcomed them. She said the students have largely maintained a peaceful presence, but road blockades during the agitation have affected schools, colleges and emergency services.
“Punekars have their own views and their own identity. If Rohit Pawar wants to shut down Pune for political reasons, he should go ahead and try. The people of Pune will then show their response,” Nagpure said.
She added that supporting students does not mean allowing disruption to daily life. According to her, citizens who have supported and accommodated students should not be put through further inconvenience in the name of protecting student interests.
Nagpure and House Leader Ganesh Bidkar clarified that the civic body is not against the students’ right to protest. Their objection, they said, is to attempts to block roads and bring normal life in Pune to a standstill.
“If there is an attempt to shut down Pune, we will also take to the streets with Punekars,” Bidkar said.
Bidkar said genuine students are focused on their studies and would not seek to shut down the city. He alleged that the call for a Pune bandh was politically motivated and said Pawar should not take Punekars for granted.
He also said the government is unlikely to accept demands that are outside the constitutional framework and urged students not to take any extreme step.
The civic leaders maintained that the administration will continue to support peaceful student protests while opposing actions that disrupt public movement and essential services.