Pune: A protest demanding free education, jobs, and other social benefits that turned violent at Pune Metro's Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Station, had led to damage to metro tracks and electrical wires. The incident resulted in the arrest of nine individuals, including Narendra Pawatekar, a NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) worker, who was later suspended by the party, and his father Dnyaneshwar Pawatekar.
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate J. S. Bhatia ordered two days of police custody for the nine accused, while the remaining eight accused were sent to judicial custody.
On Sunday, March 9, the protesters stormed the metro tracks, causing service disruptions for over two hours. During the protest, they allegedly clashed with law enforcement officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Singh Gill. The situation escalated when some protesters reportedly poured petrol on police personnel, leading to a physical altercation.
In the clash, Shivajinagar Police Station’s Senior Inspector Chandrashekhar Sawant, five other officers, and a female police officer sustained injuries. Following the incident, police charged the protesters with:
Attempted murder
Unlawful assembly and rioting
Criminal conspiracy
Violations under the Metro Railway Act
All accused were presented before the court on Monday (March 10).
Investigation Focuses on Protest’s Mastermind
Authorities are probing whether the protesters had a sabotage agenda, who contacted them before the demonstration, and who orchestrated the incident. Police questioned why a sensitive location like the metro station was chosen for the protest instead of government offices like the Collector’s Office, Pune Municipal Corporation, or the Divisional Commissioner’s Office.
Public Prosecutor Shridhar Jawale and Investigating Officer Chandrakant Suryawanshi argued for police custody to investigate these questions further.
However, the defense, led by lawyers Aditya Zhad and Siddharth Rathod, claimed the protest was a peaceful demonstration for public interest and that police exaggerated claims of petrol possession. They also raised concerns over security loopholes at Pune Metro stations.
Accused Sent to Police Custody:
Narendra Pawatekar (25)
Dnyaneshwar Pawatekar (62)
Atul Gaikwad (45)
Bharatgir Giri (35)
Ajinkya Kadam (21)
Ganesh Javanjal (46)
Priyanka Dhanduke (27)
Sukanya Jorkar (29)
Kalpana Pardeshi (46)
