26 May,2026 04:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
In a tweet on Tuesday, MP Supriya Sule questioned the rationale behind the restrictions. FILE PIC
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) Member of Parliament (MP) Supriya Sule has strongly criticised the Pune City Police for imposing wide-ranging prohibitry orders in the city, accusing the administration of targeting small businessmen and street vendors instead of addressing rising crime.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Sule questioned the rationale behind the restrictions, stating, "Pune has now become a 24-hour working city. By stepping on the stomachs of small businessmen who earn their livelihood on a daily basis, what exactly is the police administration trying to prove?"
"Police Commissioner says it is not curfew but preventive orders. If that is the case, then what exactly is being prevented? Importantly, why will law and order in Pune be affected only during the festival season? This is like a situation where the treatment is worse than the disease," the Lok Sabha MP further added.
The Pune City Police has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 37 (1) (3) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951, across the entire city from until June 8, citing law and order concerns ahead of Bakri Eid and other upcoming festivals. The official order was issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) Dr Prashant Avasakar.
According to the order, various political parties and social organisations frequently organise marches, sit-ins, demonstrations, shutdowns, and hunger strikes in the city, raising the possibility of law and order issues. To maintain public peace and safety within the Pune City Police Commissionerate limits, several restrictions have been put in place.
The order strictly prohibits carrying weapons, explosives, inflammable substances, sticks, swords, firearms, or any objects that could cause physical harm. It also bans raising loud slogans, playing loud musical instruments, displaying or burning effigies, and circulating objectionable signs, posters, or symbols that could disturb communal harmony or public morality. Speeches or appeals that could threaten social harmony, endanger state security, or provoke violence have been prohibited as well.
Gatherings of five or more persons, processions, and slogan shouting without prior permission from the Pune Police Commissioner have also been banned. The restrictions are particularly affecting small vendors and hawkers, including those operating at popular spots like Khau Galli, who have been directed to close shops by 10 PM.
However, the order exempts government personnel on duty, private security guards, home guards, and watchmen carrying sticks up to 3.5 feet in length as part of their official duties. The prohibitory orders will remain in force from 12:01 am on May 26 till midnight on June 8.
Police have clarified that the measures are preventive in nature and necessary to ensure public safety during the festive period. Violators of the order will face action under Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Sule's criticism has highlighted the difficulties faced by daily wage earners and small traders who depend on evening business hours. Her remarks have sparked discussions on balancing law and order with the livelihood concerns of common citizens in a bustling city like Pune.
(With IANS inputs)
