Savitribai Phule Pune University has changed the leadership of its girls’ hostel after hundreds of students protested over security concerns, the handling of a late-pass dispute and the university’s response to an alleged incident involving male students. Chief Rector Soniya Nagrale has resigned, while Assistant Chief Rector Pravin Talat has been removed from the post, Pune Mirror reported.
The protest began in the early hours of Monday, with students demanding answers from university authorities over an alleged security breach at the girls’ hostel. According to the report, the controversy centres on allegations that three male students from the Education Department—Pramod Rathod, Omkar Thore and Vijay Kamble—entered the hostel premises after 10.30 pm and allegedly misbehaved with a female student. The allegations and the status of any police investigation could not be independently verified from the information available.
The immediate dispute reportedly escalated after a disagreement involving a student’s late-pass. The hostel administration allegedly refused to open the gate when some students returned from Chaturshrungi Police Station. More than 300 students were reported to have gone to the police station at around 3.30 am to raise their concerns and lodge a complaint. After returning to the campus, students gathered near the hostel, raised slogans and climbed the gates while seeking intervention from senior university officials.
The students’ demands included stronger campus security, an explanation of how the alleged incident and subsequent complaints were handled, and accountability within the hostel administration. During discussions, university authorities announced that Geeta Shinde, head of the Education Department, would temporarily oversee the girls’ hostel’s functioning.
The Vice-Chancellor also reportedly assured the students that the temporary arrangement would involve direct reporting to him, the Registrar and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, without an intermediate reporting structure. Students continued to seek clarity on how the administrative changes would establish accountability and improve the handling of complaints.
The university has initiated disciplinary steps against two students named in the complaint, barring them from entering their departments and the girls’ hostel while the matter is examined. SPPU is also expected to approach the police, while a senior-level panel will examine the allegations and issues raised by the students. The university leadership was handed a written representation on October 12, and university representatives said a high-level committee would be formed. The committee may include a judge or legal experts, although its final composition and terms of reference had not been confirmed in the available information.
The latest protest follows earlier concerns about conditions at the girls’ hostel mess. Previous reports cited an inspection by the Food and Drug Administration that resulted in the suspension of the mess licence over concerns related to food quality and contamination. The developments have placed hostel security, facilities, complaint handling and administrative oversight under renewed scrutiny. The next steps are the formation of the proposed committee, the university’s communication of its terms and the progress of the police and disciplinary processes.
