Amit Thackeray warns of ‘reaction’ after MNS student wing members booked for attack on ABVP office

MNS leader Amit Thackeray on Tuesday said ‘there will be reaction for every action’ a day after members of MNS student wing were booked for allegedly trespassing and vandalising ABVP office

PUNE: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Amit Thackeray on Tuesday reacted sharply to the controversy involving the party’s student wing, saying, “For every action, there will be a reaction.”

MNS leader Amit Thackeray on Tuesday said ‘there will be reaction for every action’ a day after members of MNS student wing were booked for allegedly trespassing and vandalising ABVP office. (HT)

His comments came a day after members of the MNS student wing were booked for allegedly trespassing and vandalising the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) office in Pune.

During his visit to Pune, Thackeray met senior police officials to discuss the case and later told the media that the MNS would not tolerate provocation or attempts to malign its student organisation.

“They are unnecessarily obstructing our work. This is the second time this has happened. I firmly stand with our boys. If you try to provoke, there will be a reaction for every action,” Thackeray said.

He added that while the MNS does not intend to disturb law and order, everyone should be treated equally before the law. “If they (ABVP) behave like this, soon all their offices across the city will be locked,” he warned, demanding verification of the CCTV footage from Wadia College to ascertain the facts.

Meanwhile, the ABVP condemned the attack, calling it ‘politically motivated’ and demanded strict action against those responsible. A statement issued by the ABVP read that it is the largest student organisation in the country and has always raised student issues through ‘democratic and constructive means’.

The outfit termed the MNS’s student wing’s act as an ‘attempt to show political existence’. Students from several colleges—including Fergusson, Wadia, Modern, BMCC, Moze, and Savitribai Phule Pune University—expressed solidarity with the ABVP.

ABVP Pune metropolitan secretary, Radheya Bahegawahnkar, said, “Acts of hooliganism and intimidation will not be tolerated. If this happens again, we will respond strongly.”

According to Vishrambaug police, around 30 to 35 members of MNS’s student wing allegedly barged into the ABVP office at around 3.30 pm on Monday and assaulted members, vandalised the premises, and pasted MNS posters before locking the office.

An FIR filed by Sanjivani Kasabe named six accused — including Dhananjay Dalavi, Ketan Dongare, Ashitosh Mane, Mahesh Bhoibar and Hemant Bolage — under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Maharashtra Police Act.

The police said that the violence stemmed from a dispute over posters displayed at Wadia College. Deputy commissioner of police (zone 1) Krushikesh Rawale said, “Following the Wadia College poster controversy, some members of MNS’s student wing forcibly entered the ABVP office and pasted party posters. An FIR has been registered and investigation is underway.”

No injuries have been reported. The police said efforts are on to identify others involved and determine the exact trigger behind the clash.