Students protesting alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission recruitment process called off their agitation in Pune after the state government formed a high-level inquiry committee with IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as its secretary, and MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar proceeded on leave pending the probe.

Students protesting alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission recruitment process called off their agitation in Pune after the state government formed a high-level inquiry committee with IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as its secretary, and MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar proceeded on leave pending the probe.

Students protesting alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission recruitment process called off their agitation in Pune after the state government formed a high-level inquiry committee with IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as its secretary, and MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar proceeded on leave pending the probe.

Students protesting alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) recruitment process called off their agitation on Sunday evening after the state government announced the formation of an inquiry committee, with senior IAS officer and FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe as its secretary.

A government delegation led by Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met the protesting aspirants and informed them that most of their demands had been accepted.

However, the protesters maintained that their key demands included the removal of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar and reforms in the commission. Bhimanwar later announced that he had proceeded on leave until the inquiry was completed.

The aspirants had been protesting at SM Joshi Bridge in Pune for the past 10 days over alleged irregularities in the state recruitment body's functioning.

Meanwhile, reports indicated confusion at the protest site after NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who had joined the agitation, proposed that Bhimanwar be kept away from the chairman's post until the inquiry was completed, arguing that the resignation process could take time.

The proposal reportedly led to differences among the protesters, with a section refusing to call off the agitation.

The stalemate was resolved after Bhosale informed the protesters that the state government had agreed to their demand for an inquiry into the alleged irregularities. He said a committee had been constituted to investigate the allegations concerning the recruitment body.

Bhosale added that the government would also address the aspirants' other demands, including the withdrawal of cases against some representatives of the agitation, recruitment to 70,000 posts over three years, and an increase in the number of vacancies for the Group C examination scheduled for January.

The protesters had also sought background checks on the MPSC chairman and secretary before their appointments.

The inquiry committee will be chaired by former judge Dilip Bhosale. Its other members include IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P.D. Naik, while Mundhe will serve as its secretary.

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