Pune police detain 92 over election-roll protest

Pune police detained 92 people on Saturday for attempting an unpermitted rally over electoral-roll revisions, the Times of India reported in an Oct. 11 news report, citing senior city police officials.

The action centered on Shaniwarwada, where 85 people were held near Lal Mahal, compared with seven detained elsewhere, according to the report.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Krushikesh Rawale said 85 protesters from the Lal Mahal area were taken to Cantonment police station. Deputy Commissioner Rajlaxmi Shivankar said all 92 detainees were freed later in the evening.

The protesters were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the revocation of SIR of electoral rolls, the report said. Pune city police had earlier refused permission for a protest near Shaniwarwada.

Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil said, “We temporarily detained people because they were taking out a rally without permission.”

Protest participants and organizers disputed the police action. T Lalita of the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India said, “We want Gyanesh Kumar to be prosecuted. We also want elections conducted during his regime to be repealed and held again.”

Somnath Nirmal of the Students’ Federation of India said the police response was “wrong and undemocratic” and said protests would continue across Maharashtra until Kumar resigned.

The report said people also gathered outside Cantonment police station demanding the detainees’ release, while those held continued protesting inside the station.

A separate citizens’ protest with similar demands was planned near the passport office on Baner-Pashan Link Road at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to organizer Sameer Uttarkar, who said police had also denied permission for that event.

Source: news report, Times of India, Oct. 11, 2026