Political Tensions Escalate: MNS Student Wing Members Booked for Allegedly Storming ABVP Office in Pune

Pune witnessed a fresh surge in student political tensions as members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) student wing found themselves booked by local police for allegedly entering the office of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Shivajinagar. This incident, unfolding on a Monday afternoon, is reportedly a direct consequence of a prior confrontation involving the ABVP and students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) over the screening of the critically acclaimed Tamil film 'Jai Bhim'.

Police officials confirmed that approximately 15 individuals affiliated with the MNS student wing, including prominent figures like Ganesh Satpute and Swapnil Mahul, were identified in connection with the alleged trespass.

The charges levied against them are serious, encompassing sections of the Indian Penal Code such as 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

According to the complaint filed by an ABVP member, the MNS group reportedly barged into their office premises, issued stern warnings, and allegedly manhandled some of the members present.

This confrontation rapidly escalated, leading to a formal police complaint and the subsequent booking of the MNS activists by the Shivajinagar police.

MNS student leaders, however, presented a different narrative regarding the incident. Ganesh Satpute openly acknowledged their visit to the ABVP office, asserting that it was not an attack but rather a 'warning' against what they described as ABVP's 'goondaism' and their perceived attempts to stifle artistic freedom.

Satpute emphasized that the MNS stands firm on protecting freedom of speech and expression, stating, "We had only gone to warn the ABVP members against indulging in goondaism and stopping screenings of films. We are firm on protecting freedom of speech and expression."

The roots of this latest clash trace back to the preceding week when ABVP members at FTII reportedly disrupted a screening of 'Jai Bhim'.

This intervention led to an earlier First Information Report (FIR) being lodged against several ABVP members by FTII students for alleged harassment and disruption of a peaceful event. The MNS student wing's actions appear to be a direct and strong response to this perceived affront to artistic liberty and student autonomy.

ABVP members, still reeling from the incident, characterized the MNS students' entry as an 'attack' and an act of 'intimidation'.

They accused the MNS of attempting to instill fear among their cadres and disrupt their legitimate operations within the student community. The Shivajinagar police are actively investigating the matter, diligently gathering statements and evidence from both sides involved in the confrontation. This incident underscores the volatile and often tense nature of student politics in Pune, where ideological clashes frequently spill over into direct confrontations, necessitating swift and impartial intervention from law enforcement authorities.