ABVP, SFI Activists Clash in Pune’s Savitribai Phule University

Pradip Gavade alleged that SFI members were putting up anti ABVP posters in the campus which sparked clashes.

The violence in Pune follows the recent violence at Delhi University’s Ramjas College (Photo: The Quint)

Tension prevailed on the campus of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), after activists of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Students' Federation of India clashed against each other. The violence in Pune follows the recent violence at Delhi University’s Ramjas College.

"Both the groups came to the police station and registration of cross-complaints was underway," said a duty officer at Chatushringi police station.

Pradip Gavade, an ABVP activist, alleged that SFI members were putting up posters, which said `ABVP Murdabad' in the campus.

When our members objected, they started intimidating us and attacked us...In the morning, ABVP had staged a protest on the campus to condemn the invitation to JNU student Umar Khalid at Ramjas College in Delhi. To counter the activists from SFI who were putting up posters...We did not beat them, we were beaten up by the SFI activists.

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However, SFI activist Mao Chavan, who was not a part of the melee, said that to protest against Solapur MLC Prashant Paricharak's insulting remarks about soldiers and the violence at Rajmas College in Delhi, SFI had organised a protest on the SPPU campus this evening.

"When the protest was going on, all of a sudden, activists of ABVP arrived and attacked us," Chavan alleged.

Earlier last year, ABVP activists and some students from SFI clashed after heated arguments during an “informal” discussion organised by the ABVP on ‘Truth of JNU’ at the Fergusson College campus in Pune.