Pune, MPSC aspirants late Sunday night ended their 10-day agitation after the Maharashtra government formed a committee, with senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as secretary, to probe alleged irregularities, including paper leaks, in the recruitment body.
Subsequently, Maharashtra Public Service Commission Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar announced that he had proceeded on leave till the inquiry was completed. “The state government has announced a judicial inquiry into the MPSC paper leak case. Throughout my entire life, I have always prioritised ethics.
Therefore, I have decided to go on leave during this period instead of continuing to serve in the post until this inquiry is completed,” he said.
A state government delegation led by minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met the agitating aspirants and informed them that most of their demands, including the formation of an inquiry committee with officers such as Mundhe, had been accepted. Amid the uncertainty, it was decided that Bhosale would convey the demand to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He left the venue to discuss the matter with the CM. The minister appealed to the protesters to call off their agitation.
Bhosale returned after about 15 minutes and informed the protesters that the state government had agreed to their demand. Earlier reporting noted: Tukaram Mundhe to serve as secretary of inquiry panel into alleged MPSC paper leaks, no word yet on removal of chairperson Bhimanwar NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar (in white), govt representative PWD minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale (in green) and Vishwajeet Kadam of Congress (in black) address MPSC aspirants protesting at SM Joshi Bridge in Pune on Sunday night (Oct 11) Earlier reporting noted: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar (in white), govt representative PWD minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale (with mic) and Vishwajeet Kadam of Congress (in black) address MPSC aspirants protesting at SM Joshi Bridge in Pune on Sunday night (Oct 11) Earlier reporting noted: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar (in white), govt representative PWD minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale (in green) and Vishwajeet Kadam of Congress (in black) address MPSC aspirants protesting at SM Joshi Bridge in Pune on Sunday night (Oct 11) Because many of them came from poor families, Pawar said the agitation could take a different turn if students, their family members and other citizens joined in large numbers, alleging that the government is ignoring the protesters.
Following the government’s assurance, Vivekanad Patil, one of the representatives of the MPSC aspirants, said that they had called off the agitation for now. During his meeting with the protesters, minister Bhosale said a committee had been formed to probe into alleged irregularities concerning the state recruitment body.
