In a midnight operation, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) demolished the dilapidated Bhide Wada, a historic structure where social reformers Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule initiated the first school for girls in 1848. Despite resistance from local residents and traders, who had moved to court, the PMC proceeded with the demolition as part of its plan to construct a national memorial dedicated to the Phule couple at the site.
Following recent approvals from the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court, clearing the path for the PMC's national memorial project, shop owners and tenants at the deteriorating structure were ordered to vacate the premises. The demolition, executed under heavy police presence, took place after midnight. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Sandip Singh Gill mentioned that the PMC requested police deployment due to the lack of possession despite issuing notices to tenants and shop owners. Bhide Wada, situated in the Budhwar Peth area of Pune, holds historical significance as the site of the pioneering girls' school initiated by the Phule couple.