A police sub-inspector has been suspended for allegedly failing to intervene when members of the BJP youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and right-wing student organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) vandalised the Lalit Kala Kendra notice board at Savitribai Phule Pune University. The officer was stationed on the campus in Maharashtra following a clash between ABVP activists and Lalit Kala Kendra students over a play on Friday.
According to PTI, while responding to a complaint by the RSS-affiliated ABVP, a professor and five students were arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during the play depicting 'Ramleela' with objectionable dialogues and scenes.
On Saturday evening, ABVP and BJYM members entered Lalit Kala Kendra, damaging a notice board and splashing ink. However, the deployed sub-inspector, Sachin Gadekar, attached to the Chaturshringi police station, reportedly failed to take any action.
A senior police official asserted that Gadekar's inaction amounted to dereliction of duty. “Being a responsible officer, he should have acted. However, he neither called for help nor alerted the seniors. This amounts to dereliction of duty. The officer has been suspended for his act,” the official was quoted by PTI.
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The play by Lalit Kala Kendra, officially called the Centre for Performing Arts, was based on the backstage banter of actors who perform various roles in 'Ramleela', reported PTI.
As per the First Information Report (FIR), objections were raised by ABVP members during a play where a male artist, depicting the character of Sita, was seen smoking and using abusive language, leading to the disruption of the performance and alleged assaults on the artists.
According to PTI, the FIR stated that when members of the ABVP took objection to the play and stopped the performance, the artists heckled and assaulted them.