Savitribai Phule Pune University has suspended two male students from its academic department and hostel after they allegedly confronted a female student outside the girls’ hostel and questioned her for standing with a male friend at around 10.30 pm. The university has also initiated the process of filing a police complaint and appointed a high-level committee to investigate the incident.
The action followed a protest by female students on the university campus. The students met Vice-Chancellor Sharad Gosavi and submitted a representation demanding strict action against the two men, according to a statement issued by the SPPU Public Relations Office.
The university said the two students had attempted to intimidate a woman student by questioning her inappropriately outside the hostel. “Accordingly, a complaint is being filed with the police by the university against the two students and the admission of both the students in the academic department and the hostel is being suspended with immediate effect,” the statement said.
A student residing in the hostel told The Indian Express that the two men objected to the woman standing outside the girls’ hostel at night. The student said boys were not allowed inside the girls’ hostel, but the two men entered the premises and argued with female students. She alleged that their actions amounted to moral policing of the woman.
The student involved in the confrontation did not want to file an individual complaint, fearing repercussions on her professional future, the hostel resident said. The account supplied to the newspaper also said the incident led female students to seek direct intervention from the university administration.
The university’s decision places the institutional response at the centre of the case. Rather than relying only on an individual complaint, SPPU has said it will proceed with a police complaint and conduct an internal inquiry into the conduct of the two students. The committee is expected to establish the sequence of events and determine responsibility based on the available accounts.
Police confirmed that the matter had been brought to their attention, but said the student concerned had not submitted a written complaint. Uttam Bhajnavale, senior police inspector at Chaturshringi police station, said some women students from the university had visited the police station early in the morning.
The university has not announced a timeline for the committee’s findings or specified the next procedural steps in the police complaint process. It has said strict action will be taken against those found responsible.
