NCP (SP) urges Pune Police to Withdraw Curbs on Protest Venues, Seeks Protection of Democratic Rights

Pune, 21st July 2026: The Pune city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) has urged the city police to withdraw the decision restricting political, social and public protests to the district collector’s office premises and instead adopt a transparent and uniform policy permitting peaceful demonstrations at relevant locations across the city.

A delegation led by Pune city NCP (SP) president Shrikant Vishwanath Patil submitted a memorandum to Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. MP Vandana Chavan, former mayor Ankush Kakade, Hadapsar Assembly constituency president Pravin Tupe and other party office-bearers were also present.

In the memorandum, the party said the Constitution guarantees every citizen the fundamental right to freedom of expression and to hold peaceful protests. It argued that demonstrations are not merely a means of submitting memorandam but an effective democratic tool for conveying public concerns to the government. Restricting all protests to a single designated location, it said, places unnecessary curbs on citizens’ constitutional rights.

The party also highlighted Pune’s legacy of social reform, public awareness movements and democratic values, stating that a city inspired by reformers such as Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai Phule, Lokmanya Tilak and Dr B R Ambedkar should not impose limitations on the democratic right to protest peacefully.

The NCP (SP) said it has full faith in the rule of law and remains committed to holding peaceful and constitutional agitations. While assuring cooperation with the police administration, the party maintained that any measure that curtails citizens’ constitutional rights in the name of maintaining law and order would not be acceptable.

In its memorandum, the party demanded the immediate withdrawal of the policy restricting protests to the collector’s office premises, permission for peaceful demonstrations at issue-specific government offices and public places across the city, the announcement of a clear and transparent policy for granting protest permissions, and the removal of what it described as unnecessary restrictions on citizens’ constitutional rights.

The party expressed hope that the police administration would consider the memorandum seriously and take a positive decision, stating that safeguarding citizens’ democratic rights is a constitutional responsibility of the administration.