Savitribai Phule Pune University has accepted the resignation of the chief rector of its girls hostel and removed the assistant chief rector after hundreds of students protested over alleged harassment, late-night access restrictions and security concerns on campus.
The protest began in the early hours of Monday after students demanded an explanation from the university administration over an alleged security breach near the girls hostel and the handling of complaints raised by residents. The students also sought guarantees for their safety and accountability from hostel officials.
According to the protesting students, a resident who had left the hostel for medical reasons was allegedly questioned and harassed near the hostel by three or four students. The students allegedly followed her and entered the hostel premises after 10.30 pm, when male entry is prohibited. The protesters said the students refused to apologise and that attempts to contact their parents were unsuccessful. These allegations have not yet been established by an inquiry.
The dispute intensified after some students returning from a police station were allegedly denied entry through the hostel gate. More than 300 students reportedly went to Chaturshringi police station at around 3.30 am to raise their complaints and seek to file a report. After returning to the university campus, they gathered near the hostel, raised slogans and climbed onto the entrance gate while demanding intervention from senior university officials.
Students also questioned how their complaints had been handled and whether the administration had adequately monitored the safety of hostel residents. “We want justice. That student was harassed, but the concerned students did not even show the courtesy to apologise,” a protesting student was quoted as saying by Civic Mirror – Pune. The students demanded firm action and assurances that similar incidents would not recur.
Following discussions with the protesters, the university announced changes to the hostel’s interim management. Geeta Shinde, head of the education department, will temporarily oversee the girls hostel. Vice-Chancellor Suresh Gosavi told students that the new arrangement would not have an intermediary administrative layer and that reports on hostel operations would be submitted directly to the vice-chancellor, registrar and pro-vice-chancellor.
The university said assistant chief rector Pravin Talt had been removed after internal discussions and that chief rector Sonia Nagarale’s resignation had been received and accepted. Gosavi said a legal committee would be established to investigate the matter and that the students concerned had been suspended. The university also said disciplinary proceedings had begun against two students named in the complaint and that they would be barred from entering their academic department and the girls hostel until the inquiry is completed.
The university’s statement said two students had allegedly asked inappropriate questions to a female student outside the women’s hostel and attempted to pressure her. It said the university was filing a police complaint and that a high-level committee appointed by the vice-chancellor would investigate the incident. The university said strict action would follow if the students were found guilty.
The report contains differing references to the number of students allegedly involved, with protesters referring to three named students while the university statement refers to two. The final composition and terms of reference of the proposed inquiry committee, including whether it will include a judge or legal expert, had not been announced when the report was published.
The protest has also brought earlier complaints about hostel administration back into focus. Civic Mirror – Pune reported that the Food and Drug Administration had previously suspended the hostel dining facility’s licence after inspections linked to concerns about food quality and possible contamination. Students are now seeking concrete action on security, infrastructure and complaint redressal rather than assurances alone.
The university said it would examine the students’ complaints through the high-level inquiry committee and consider their demands during the investigation. Police action and the committee’s final composition remain the next stated steps in the case.
