Two corporators from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction and 10 to 11 others have been booked after an alleged break-in, vandalism and theft at a Pune Municipal Corporation-run study centre and library in the Parvati area. The complaint also invokes provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act over alleged caste-based abuse of the complainant.
The alleged incident took place at a public-use site near the Parvati foothills, behind the Vitthalwadi building and close to a canteen. According to the complaint, the accused entered the study centre and library without the complainant’s consent or the necessary legal authorisation and allegedly damaged library and study-centre materials. Theft has also been alleged.
The FIR names NCP corporators Suraj Lokhande and Priya Gadade-Patil, along with their supporters. The complainant has alleged that, after questioning the accused about the damage, he was abused using casteist slurs and humiliated in public near the Parvati foothills canal. The complaint identifies Shivaji Gadade-Patil in connection with the alleged abuse.
Parvati police have registered a case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 303(2), 359(2), 324(2) and 3(5). The case also includes Sections 3(1)(s) and 3(1)(r) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The alleged damage concerns a facility operated by the civic body for public use. Study centres and libraries in municipal areas serve as low-cost spaces for students and residents, making the condition and security of such premises a matter of local administration as well as law enforcement. The complaint places the alleged incident within a public-use site near the Parvati foothills, rather than a private property dispute.
The case also raises questions about access controls and institutional responsibility at civic facilities. The complaint alleges that entry took place without consent or legal authorisation, while the police investigation will have to establish what occurred at the premises, identify the extent of any property damage or loss, and determine the roles of those named in the FIR.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Gajanan Pawar of the Swargate division is conducting the further investigation. The allegations have not been established in court, and the police inquiry is continuing.
