Pune: Ambedkar Hostel Students Protest At PMC, Demand Timely DBT & Assured Relocation

The students of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Boys Hostel staged a protest outside the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) main building on Friday, holding placards that read “DBT DBT” and raising loud slogans demanding the timely disbursal of their Direct Benefit Transfer funds. Several students carried photo frames of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, while others held pictures of Savitribai Phule and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, symbolising their struggle for educational rights and dignity.

Around 80 to 90 students from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Boys Hostel at Ghole Road gathered peacefully at noon after issuing a formal notice to the PMC and the Shivajinagar Police to demonstrate a protest at the PMC main building. 

Prashant Kanojiya, one of the protestors, clarified that the protest was entirely self-organised and free from any external pressure. "The students have staged a protest to express deep frustration over delayed financial assistance and demanded that the current DBT amount of Rs 2,150 be increased to Rs 4,150, along with a commitment that the funds be released from July every year without interruption," said Kanojiya. 

"Another major concern we highlighted during the protest was the possibility of the hostel’s demolition. Students insisted that if the building is to be vacated, they must be provided alternative accommodation within five kilometres of Shivajinagar; otherwise, they should be allowed to continue staying in the existing hostel," said one of the students from the hostel on the condition of anonymity. 

Despite the intensity of the slogans and the emotional appeal through placards and portraits, the protest remained entirely peaceful, with the students asserting that their demands are essential, long-pending, and central to their academic well-being.