Pune Police Accused Of Lathi-Charge On Students Celebrating Holi At Ajeenkya DY Patil University Hostel; Several Injured

Pune: A shocking incident took place in Pune’s Dhanori area, where minor students were allegedly beaten during a lathi charge by officials from the Pune City Police Commissionerate. The incident happened at the Newton School of Technology (NST) on Tuesday night.

According to available details, Dhulivandand was being played in the hostel of Newton School of Technology belonging to Ajeenkya DY Patil University on Dhanori-Charholi Road. The area reportedly falls under the jurisdiction of the Lohgaon Police Station (under the Pune City Police Commissionerate).

While the students were playing with colours on Dhulivandan, several police officials allegedly barged into the hostel campus and started ordering them around to stop the celebrations. They argued that they got a tip-off that an illegal assembly and a protest were going to happen on the campus.

The students who tried to argue with the police were reportedly beaten with a lathi and shoved away threateningly. Sources within the hostel said that multiple students have been injured in this scuffle with the law enforcers. Students also mentioned that the police officials threatened them with arrest.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a student of the hostel told The Free Press Journal, “In the evening, the police officials suddenly came to our hostel. They were banging lathis everywhere, and it scared us. I'm not a local resident of Pune, and I did not feel safe while this was happening. My friends told me Punekars play Holi colours on Dhulivandan. It's supposed to be a festival of joy, not fear.”

“One of our seniors tried to question them. They shoved him away roughly. Along with him, several others. I saw them beating him with the lathi they had. They threatened to arrest him if he showed any more of his ‘disrespectful attitude'. They wouldn't even show us any warrant or any particular reason why they were here,” added the student.

Senior Police Inspector Manisha Patil, in charge of Lohgaon Police Station, told The Free Press Journal, "I have just got to know about something like this. I enquired into the matter; our team did not go there. It was the Home Guards."

Homeguards and other troops from SRPF and CRPF are called in during the festival time for increased patrolling to keep the city safe.

Sr PI Manisha Patil said, "We had received a call from them regarding some disturbance in college. But our employees did not go there. It was the home homeguards. We will look into the issue."