A protest against the detention of NCP MLA Rohit Pawar during the Sangharsh Yatra was organised in Pimpri on Thursday by NCP Mahila Aghadi and NCP Vidyarthi Congress in Pimpri-Chinchwad city.
Dr Sunil Gavane of Pimpri, the State President of NCP Vidyarthi Congress, led the movement at Babasaheb Ambedkar Chowk. Notable participants included the State President of NCP's labour organisation, Nakhate, and City President of NCP Mahila Aghadi Jyoti Nimbalkar, along with several other workers.
Kashinathji Nakhate, state president of NCP's labor organisation, said, "Injustice is being done to the laborers in the state. The attempt to lathi-charge and arrest our leaders who are fighting for the youth's issues is oppression by the government. If such a thing happens again, we will launch agitation across the state."
NCP working president Devendra Tayde and Mahila Aghadi city president Jyoti Nimbalkar also condemned the arrest of Rohit Pawar during the Sangharsh Yatra.
NCP city president Rahul Aher strongly criticised the state government over this incident.
The agitators also warned the government of mass protests in Pimpri-Chinchwad if this kind of repression is used to silence the opposition.
Rohit Pawar's detention
NCP MLA Rohit Pawar and several others were detained by police during a protest in Nagpur on Tuesday. He was later released by cops.
The 'Yuva Sangharsh Morcha' (protest march) organised by Pawar reached the city earlier on Tuesday and culminated in a public meeting on Tekdi Road.
The participants in the march wanted to hand over several memorandums of demands which they had received from people on the way, but no representative of the Maharashtra government was present to accept the memorandums, Rohit Pawar told reporters.
Angry NCP workers then began to shout slogans and tried to head towards the legislature complex.
Subsequently, police detained Rohit Pawar, Salil Deshmukh, Sangram Deshmukh, and many other NCP workers, an official said.
The march had started from Pune and covered a distance of around 800 km before reaching the city where the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature is underway.
