A 28-year old aspirant of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) allegedly ended his life in Pune, police said on Wednesday (September 9, 2026). This led to political outrage against the government, with the Congress holding the government responsible for the death. Maharashtra Congress president Harshawardhan Sapkal called for the resignation of MPSC chairperson and secretary. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke expressed concern over the death. He is slated to visit Dharashiv, the native place of the deceased youth, to meet his family on Thursday.
“Most of the civil service aspirants come from very humble backgrounds, mainly rural and agricultural, so their lives are important to them and their families as well. Many students are facing difficulties and struggling to meet their expenses. The paper leak and delay in the exam have shattered the aspirants’ dreams. How long will the aspirants tolerate this?” Mr. Dipke said in a video issued on Wednesday.
He said the government needs to introspect on why the aspirant allegedly ended his own life. Adding that the reports of paper leaks, cancellation of exams, leads to stress among students, he said that the aspirants faced immense mental duress due to these factors.
Harshawardhan Sapkal said the government should act immediately. “What investigation will be done in this now? There are no reforms in the process of holding exams so far. Mr. Bhimanwar is a friend of Devendra Fadnavis. Where does this arrogance come from? Why is there no resignation so far?” he asked.
28 -years- old Prathamesh Deshmukh allegedly had a debt of around ₹2.5 lakh on his head, police said. He hailed from Paranda and was staying in a rented accommodation in Pune for a few years to prepare for MPSC. He was allegedly found dead inside a room in his house on Wednesday morning. He allegedly wrote a note with the names of around 18 persons who had lent money to him, but were yet to be repaid.
MPSC students and aspirants have been staging massive protests, particularly in cities like Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, due to widespread anger over alleged examination irregularities, paper leaks, and delays in the recruitment process. They have demanded the immediate removal of MPSC chairperson Vivek Bhimanvar, accusing him of compromising the exam’s credibility. The students have also demanded a comprehensive forensic audit of examinations and a strict independent probe into past recruitment exams.
Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.
Published – September 10, 2026 04:19 am IST
