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Journalism of Courage
Protesters from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) blocked Pune Metro by climbing onto the tracks near the PMC station on Sunday over issues such as better employment and corruption.
Operations were halted from 12.45 pm to 2.45 pm, affecting thousands of passengers, said Hemant Sonawane, Executive Director (Public Relations and Administration) of Pune Metro.
“We informed the police immediately when the protesters climbed onto the metro tracks. The protest was not related to the metro but other issues. They were standing on the edge, so the police had to work sensitively. The protesters demanded the media be called. Only after they spoke to the media did the protesters get off the tracks and were taken away by the police,” Sonawane said.
While speaking to the media on the metro tracks, Narendra Pawtekar, one of the protesters, said, “The common man and young boys and girls should get employment. People spend Rs 10 lakh for education but they have no employment. Outsider kids are getting priority in Pune; our kids should get that priority. Corruption should end; people have to pay Rs 10 lakh in donations to get admissions in schools… The chief minister should pay attention to this. Ajit dada is the guardian minister of Pune, and I have immense respect for him, but today I am saying that he should pay attention to these things.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone 1 Sandeep Gill, who was present at the scene, told The Indian Express, “The protestors were very aggressive and two of them were carrying bottles full of petrol with them. We were diplomatically trying to solve the situation but they splashed petrol on many of our policemen. An FIR with strict sections will be filed.”
Prashant Japtap told The Indian Express that the party did not support the protest and said, “Whatever has happened today was not a protest of the party. We do not agree with what the karyakarta did. Workers of any party should not protest in a way that troubles the people of the city. Blocking the Metro causes an inconvenience to Punekars and we do not support any such protest.”
In a video message, Jagtap also said that Pawtekar had jumped from Ajit Pawar’s NCP to the NCP(SP) just a few months ago. He added that Pawtekar had now been expelled from the party.
Pawtekar also read out a list of other demands, including the inclusion of historical figures in the school syllabus, addressing girl child molestation in schools, and the towing of two-wheelers by the municipal corporation.
