2 dozen ABVP members booked after protest over rap song shoot inside Pune varsity

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 25 (ANI): Pune Police on Monday registered a case against more than two dozen Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members for allegedly creating a ruckus inside the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) premises during the shooting of a controversial rap song.
The ABVP members were reportedly holding a protest to put forward their demands, including a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the university to initiate action against those responsible for allowing a rapper to shoot a controversial song at the varsity's main building.
According to a complaint filed by officials of Pune University, a group of more than 25 ABVP members barged into the conference room and created a ruckus while a meeting of the SPPU's management council was underway.
After entering the room, they tore up papers kept on the table and started raising slogans, the complaint stated.
The protestors put forward their demands, which included allowing students to use the newly-inaugurated sports stadium, declaring results on time, and holding the convocation ceremony, among others.
The FIR registered against the ABVP protesters read, "The police have registered a case against eight members (of ABVP), who have been identified, and 15 to 20 unidentified activists under Indian Penal Code section 448 (trespassing) and other sections related to rioting."
Speaking to ANI, Anil Thombare, an AMVP member who was leading the protest, said, "We have a total of four demands that need to be met immediately. We did not create a ruckus inside the campus. We just wanted our long-pending demands to be heard. We wanted to meet the VC and hand him a list of our demands. But we were stopped by the guards after which we raised slogans in the meeting room.
A varsity official said the authorities have assured the protesters that 3 of their 4 demands would be met as soon as possible.
Rajendra Singnapurkar, a university official, told reporters that 3 of the 4 demands put forward by the agitating ABVP members could be met over the next 2-3 days.
However, he said action on the controversial rap song might take time as the matter was before a high-level committee, which is yet to submit its report. "We are working to ensure that the real culprit is identified and punished," he said.
An alleged offensive rap song was shot on the premises of SPPU by rapper Jadhav last month, without permission from the authorities, triggering a row on campus. (ANI)