26-hour silent protest over police manhandling Pune varsity students

At least 25 students sat in he campus through the night on Tuesday, when SPPU registrar Prafulla Pawar finally met them and gave them a letter the SPPU has sent to the police demanding an inquiry into the issue

Students from various departments of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) staged a silent protest outside the main building of the SPPU against the Pune police for allegedly manhandling students during a protest against the ‘Earn and Learn scheme’ on January 12, also inside the SPPU.

Students seen carrying out a silent protest in front of the main building of Savitribai Phule Pune University on Tuesday. (Milind Saurkar/HT Photo)

At least 25 students, girls and boys, began the protest on Monday, January 13, at 4pm. The students sat there, through the night, non-stop till 6.30 pm on Tuesday, when SPPU registrar Prafulla Pawar finally met the protesting students and gave them a letter the SPPU has sent to the Pune police demanding an inquiry into the issue.

“On Sunday, we students, who are working under the SPPU’s Earn and Learn scheme, took out a protest on campus, the same day state higher education minister Uday Samant visited the SPPU for official meetings. The police involved with the minister’s security allegedly manhandled students who were protesting peacefully. Moreover, male policemen pulled at the female students as there were no women policemen. Our demand is that SPPU take up this issue with the Pune police and an enquiry be initiated,” said Snehal Bhosale, one of the protesting students.