What caused the clash between Youth Congress and ABVP members in Pune?

The clash was fueled by allegations from ABVP members that NSUI workers pressured students to attend Rahul Gandhi's meeting, while NSUI claimed they were merely protesting ABVP's attempts to stop students from participating.

What legal actions were taken against Youth Congress workers after the clash?

Pune Police registered a first information report against 50 to 60 Youth Congress workers under various sections, including unlawful assembly and criminal intimidation, based on a complaint by an ABVP member.

How did authorities respond to the situation at the College of Engineering, Pune?

Police deployed a large number of personnel on the COEP campus to prevent any further violence and ensure safety after the clash between the ABVP and NSUI members.

50+ Youth Congress workers detained in Pune after clash with ABVP members ahead of Rahul Gandhi's event

Based on a complaint filed by an ABVP member, police registered a first information report on Saturday morning against 50 to 60 Youth Congress workers.

Updated on: Aug 22, 2026, 12:36:30 IST

By Yogesh Joshi

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Pune Police have booked 50 to 60 Youth Congress workers following a clash between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) at a university hostel, ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with female students at a city-based college on Saturday evening.

Pune Police have booked 50 to 60 Youth Congress workers after a violent clash between ABVP and NSUI at a university hostel. (X@Roshanlalbitu)

The incident took place at the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) hostel campus late on Friday, following which police personnel were deployed in large numbers at the premises to prevent any further trouble.

Also read | Face off between ABVP, NSUI at COEP varsity campus ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s event in Pune

The FIR was registered on Saturday morning based on a complaint filed by an ABVP member. Police have booked 50 to 60 Youth Congress workers under Sections 115(2), relating to voluntarily causing simple physical hurt; 189(1), relating to unlawful assembly; 351(1), relating to criminal intimidation; and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Police Act.

ABVP alleges students were pressured

ABVP State Secretary Atharva Kulkarni alleged that NSUI workers were pressuring university students to attend Gandhi’s programme, claiming that the organisers were struggling to get an audience.

“Around 100-150 NSUI workers entered the COEP campus and heckled female students. Some of the students who tried to intervene were also targeted,” he alleged.

NSUI denies allegations

NSUI cadres, however, claimed that some university students had planned to attend Gandhi’s interaction to raise the issue of scholarship money that they said they were not receiving from the state government. They denied the ABVP allegation that any student was heckled.

“When ABVP cadres came to know of this, they went to the university and requested them not to attend Gandhi’s event. We also went there and protested against ABVP for trying to stop students from attending Gandhi’s event,” said city Congress youth president Akshay Jain.

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