Pune, 26th August 2026: Tribal students protesting at a government hostel in Manjari have warned of intensifying their agitation unless the state government accepts all their demands and gives them a written assurance.
The students have now demanded a direct meeting with the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying they want to discuss their concerns at the highest level. They have made it clear that the agitation will continue until a comprehensive decision is taken on their demands.
Their demands include relaxation of the age limit for admission to government hostels, consideration of students’ suggestions while framing government decisions, and construction or operation of hostels at central and easily accessible locations.
They are also seeking protection of reserved posts for tribal communities and immediate recruitment against vacant reserved positions.
A meeting between the Tribal Students Coordination Committee and the Tribal Development Minister on Monday failed to resolve the issue. On Tuesday, the state government announced a decision to relax the age limit for admission to government hostels.
However, the protesters said the decision addresses only one of their demands and does not resolve the larger issues raised by them.
The students have also objected to the government’s decision to put the 2026 government resolution on hold rather than cancelling it.
"Only putting the 2026 government resolution on hold is not a solution. We want the government to take a clear and positive decision on all our demands," the protesting students said.
They added that they would consider withdrawing the agitation only after meeting the Chief Minister and receiving a written assurance from the government.
Students of the Tribal Development Department hostel in Manjari have been on an indefinite hunger strike outside the hostel for the past 13 days.
Several rounds of discussions have been held between the protesting students and officials, including the Tribal Development Project Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Project Officer. However, the discussions failed to produce a solution, following which a coordination committee was formed.
The agitation has also received support from several political and social leaders. Former judge B. G. Kolse-Patil, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Sujat Ambedkar, MLA Rohit Pawar, Vikrant Bhuria, former minister Vasant Purke, OBC leader Laxman Hake and Shiv Sena city chief Pramod Bhangire visited the protesters over the past two days.
The health of two students deteriorated during the protest on Tuesday. Rajaram Padvi was admitted to Sassoon Hospital, while Rahul Sonawane was taken to a primary health centre in Loni Kalbhor for treatment.
Some other students were also examined at the protest site following concerns over their health.
The protesters alleged that government representatives have been giving evasive responses instead of taking concrete decisions on their demands.
"Government representatives are giving us evasive answers. The 2026 government resolution has not been cancelled; it has only been put on hold. This appears to be an attempt to delay the issue," students Saurabh Bande, Suraj Kokane, Savita Gawari, Supriya Damse, Vishal Kokane and Kiran Mundhe said.
They further alleged that funds meant for tribal welfare were not being distributed properly.
"Funds allocated for tribal welfare are not being distributed properly. As a result, students studying in tribal residential schools and government hostels are facing injustice," the students said.
The protesters have maintained that the relaxation of the hostel age limit alone will not be enough to end the agitation.
"We will discuss our demands directly with the Chief Minister. If the government takes positive decisions on all our demands and gives us a written assurance, we will consider suspending the protest. Otherwise, we will intensify the agitation," the students said.
