BJYM members protest at Pune University’s Lalit Kala Kendra amid row over play on ‘Ramleela’

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 4 (ANI): A day after a scuffle broke out between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and students from Pune University's Lalit Kala Kendra, a group of leaders and workers of the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) staged a protest on the institute's premises on Saturday over a play based on 'Ramleela'.
Protesting BJYM workers allegedly threw ink and ransacked a board at the Lalit Kala Kendra. They demanded action against the Head of the Department (HoD) for approving the script of an 'objectionable' play.
"Our main point is that we don't intend to target students, but the way these types of incidents are happening, it's all being done to instigate other students and hurt sentiments. We demand the suspension of the HoD and the professor who approved such a script. The video that went viral is just a small part of it; the entire script, if you see it, is very objectionable," BJYM City President Karan Misal said.
Meanwhile, the management of Pune University has constituted a fact-finding committee to probe the whole incident.
Earlier in the day, six people associated with Lalit Kala Kendra, officially known as the Centre for Performing Arts, were arrested but were granted bail later on by the Pune Magistrate Court.
They were booked by the Pune police, and an FIR was registered against all six individuals, including the Head of the Department (HoD) of the Lalit Kala Kendra. The charges under IPC sections 294, 295A, and 323 were filed after the scuffle incident that broke out between ABVP members and students from Pune University's Lalit Kala Kendra over an objectionable play depicting 'Ramleela.'
The play, staged by Lalit Kala Kendra and titled 'Ramleela', depicted the backstage scenes of actors performing various roles.
According to Shiva Barole, the Pune University unit chief of the ABVP, the play showed Sita smoking and using abusive language towards Laxman, which led to objections from the ABVP.
"We raised objections to such actions and halted the performance titled 'Ramleela.' It is offensive to Hindu sentiments. Subsequently, students from Lalit Kala Kendra attempted to confront us. We have filed a complaint with the police and requested the registration of a case," Barole stated.
Chaturshrangi Police said that there was a verbal spat between members of two groups over the play. "We have got the information that there was a verbal spat between two groups at the university campus; the related groups were called for the investigation," a senior police officer had said earlier. (ANI)