Silent protest rally at Alka chowk as part of Pune bandh to protest against the controversial remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji and other legendary figures of Maharashtra by governor and other leaders. (Express photograph by Arul Horizon) Pune News Live Updates today: Sambhaji Brigade, a prominent Maratha organisation, along with various other organisations and Opposition parties under the banner of “Sarvdharmiya Shivpremi Punekar” are set to hold a silent march as part of their call for a Pune-wide bandh on Tuesday against the alleged remarks of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari along with BJP leaders on Chhatrapati Shivaji that have triggered controversy in the last few weeks. The bandh call was given by Sambhaji Brigade, the NCP, the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) after a meeting in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji statue on the ground of SSPMS in Shivajinagar. Koshyari raked up a controversy last month, when he called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as an icon of ‘olden days’ and Dr BR Ambedkar and Union minister Nitin Gadkari ‘icons of modern times’.
Two days after he demanded strong action against those who were allegedly involved in the incident in which ink was thrown at him, senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil, who is also the Higher and Technical Education Minister in the state government, on Monday said he had no complaint against anyone and wants the matter to end. The minister also apologised again for the “wrong use of a word” during a speech three days back which had sparked off the controversy. On Saturday, three persons were arrested after ink was thrown at Patil in Chinchwad area.
Autorickshaw drivers in Pune Monday morning resumed their strike over the unfulfilled demand of stopping bike taxi services in the city. On November 28, the drivers held a strike which was called off after the promise of resolving their issues by December 10.
Over 4,500 police personnel and officers have been deployed across Pune on Tuesday in view of the bandh called by various organisations in protest against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s controversial remarks on Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji, the city police said.
Around 1,100 personnel were deployed for the mook morcha or silent march from the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj statue in the Deccan Gymkhana area to Lal Mahal in Kasba Peth. Read More
Autorickshaw drivers along Pune Nashik Road have taken to stopping fellow rickshaw drivers who are on duty. Autorickshaw drivers in Pune on Monday morning resumed their strike over the unfulfilled demand of stopping bike taxi services in the city.
After late night police action on the autorickshaw drivers who had parked their vehicles to block the road in front of Pune RTO on Monday, the organisers of the protest have now threatened to go on fast unto death to pressurise the government to fulfil their demand of banning bike taxi in Pune.
The rickshaw unions maintain that bike taxis have been operating “illegally” and hampering their business. The RTO must take action against bike taxis and stop their operations permanently, the unions say.
Most shops and businesses remained closed in Pune city on Tuesday morning in response to a call for `bandh' (shut-down) given by opposition parties to protest comments against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and other iconic leaders of the state.
The Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Pune also remained closed on Tuesday. A local traders' body has extended support to the bandh by keeping the shops closed till 3 pm.
Officials of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal said that most of its buses were plying on the roads. Only 10 percent buses were pulled off the roads, an official said. (PTI)
On December 1, Pune-based HR tech startup Jombay announced that they were being acquired by another company in the city, CIEL HR Services. “As we kept growing, we came across the IPO-bound CIEL HR. We found a good match in terms of our values, Indian roots and global aspiration. We thought that if we joined hands, we could increase our customer footprint and product portfolio and become stronger together,” says Mohit Gundecha, CEO of Jombay. The startup’s brand name will remain the same and it will function as a standalone entity.
Founded in 2010, Jombay works with more than 500 customers in the space of talent management and development. (Read More)
Normal life was affected on Tuesday as most marketplaces in Pune remained shut and public transport services stayed off the roads in view of the bandh called by various organisations against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s recent controversial remarks on Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji. The protesters have sought Koshyari’s removal from the post, besides an apology from him as well as the BJP for the statements made on the 17th-century ruler.
While commercial establishments and shops in Pune stayed shut, bus services run by Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) as well as autorickshaws refused to ply. Many schools declared a holiday to avoid inconvenience to students, especially since school vans and buses are unavailable. (Read More)
Express Photos by Arul Horizon
More from Cities
The silent march will pass through Alka theatre chowk, Laxmi road and Belbaug chowk before ending at Lal Mahal where Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji spent his childhood. A public rally will be held near Lal Mahal.
All the Ganesh mandals in the city have extended their support to the bandh call and their representatives will participate in it. Various social organisations, rickshaw union and traders association are also expected to participate in the bandh apart from a number of Muslim organisations.
Shiv Sena says Centre, State Government and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari himself should take note of Pune bandh. "If no action is taken against the Governor, the bandhs will spread across Maharashtra," said Sanjay Raut, chief spokesperson of Shiv Sena (UBT).
BJP MP Udayanraje Bhosale, descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, will be participating in Pune bandh today.
The Pune bandh has been called by various organisations to protest against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remark on Chhatrapati Shivaji, on Tuesday. Governor Koshyari had raked up a controversy last month, when he called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as an icon of ‘olden days’ and Dr BR Ambedkar and Union minister Nitin Gadkari ‘icons of modern times’.
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune have signed an agreement to develop a joint programme to enable IISER students to specialise in science and mathematics teaching.
According to an official statement issued Monday, the programme that brings together IISER Pune’s expertise in science and TISS’s expertise in teacher education has been planned in order to prepare expert science teachers and to realise the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s vision of multidisciplinarity and bringing excellence into the teaching profession. During the course of the programme, students will be exposed to cutting-edge teaching and research from both institutions. (Read More)
After late night police action on the autorickshaw drivers who had parked their vehicles to block the road in front of Pune RTO on Monday, the organisers of the protest have now threatened to go on fast unto death to pressurise the government to fulfil their demand of banning bike taxi in Pune.
Pune police undertook forcible clearance of the road in front of Pune RTO yesterday, after hundreds of autorickshaw drivers parked their vehicles on the road and left for home. These who opposed the removal of rickshaws, were lathi charged by police. Several dozen autorickshaw drivers were detained and taken to Bundgarden Police Station. (Read More)
The Pune bandh has been called by various organisations to protest against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remark on Chhatrapati Shivaji, on Tuesday.
The parties have said that essential services like the grocery stores, bakeries, and milk shops will be allowed to open till 10 am on Tuesday, and after that, the shops will be closed till 3 pm. Medical shops will be open throughout the day.
TWO days after he demanded strong action against those who were allegedly involved in the incident in which ink was thrown at him, senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil, who is also the Higher and Technical Education Minister in the state government, on Monday said he had no complaint against anyone and wants the matter to end. The minister also apologised again for the “wrong use of a word” during a speech three days back which had sparked off the controversy.
On Saturday, three persons were arrested after ink was thrown at Patil in Chinchwad area. The police had also picked up a television journalist for questioning. While demanding action against those who threw ink at him, Patil had also sought action against the TV journalist for shooting the incident. Patil had insinuated that the journalist might be part of the conspiracy. Videos of Patil directing the police to take action failing which he would stage a fast at the police station had gone viral. (Read More)
The city police said they were on alert for Tuesday’s Pune bandh called by various organisations to protest against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remark on Chhatrapati Shivaji.
As organisations and activists will take out a “Mook Morcha” (silent march) from the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj statue in Deccan to the Lal Mahal around 9am, Lakshmi Road, Shivaji Road, Bajirao Road, Ganesh Road and Kelkar Road will be closed for vehicles as per requirement, and the vehicles will be diverted to alternative routes, according to a press release issued by DCP (traffic) Vijaykumar Magar.
DCP (special branch) R Raja has issued an order that those participating in the bandh should not carry any weapons and explosive substances. Putting up any posters or images of politicians would not be allowed during the bandh. Shouting abusive slogans and playing musical instruments would also not be allowed. (Read More)
Sambhaji Brigade, a prominent Maratha organisation, along with various other organisations and Opposition parties under the banner of “Sarvdharmiya Shivpremi Punekar” would hold a silent march as part of their call of Pune bandh on Tuesday against the alleged remarks of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari along with BJP leaders on Chhatrapati Shivaji that have triggered controversy in the last few weeks.
Last week, the bandh call was given by Sambhaji Brigade, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) after a meeting in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji statue on the ground of SSPMS in Shivajinagar. Many other organisations later extended their support to bandh and decided to participate in it. (Read More)