Professor, 5 students arrested over play based on 'Ramleela' at Pune University
Pune, Feb 3: A professor and five students of the Pune University have been arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by staging a play based on 'Ramleela' that reportedly had objectionable dialogues and scenes, police said on Saturday.
Functionaries of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and students of the Pune University's Lalit Kala Kendra had entered into a scuffle over the play staged on Friday evening.
The play by the Lalit Kala Kendra, officially called the Centre for Performing Arts, was based on the backstage banter of actors who perform various roles in 'Ramleela'.
Based on a complaint lodged by the ABVP functionary Harshvardhan Harpude, a case was registered under section 295 (A) (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, inspector Ankush Chintaman said.
The police have arrested Dr Pravin Bhole, the head of the department of the Lalit Kala Kendra, and students Bhavesh Patil, Jay Pednekar, Prathamesh Sawant, Rishikesh Dalvi and Yash Chikhle, he said.
As per the first information report (FIR), in the play, a male artiste portraying Sita was shown smoking a cigarette and using abusive language.
The FIR stated that when members of the ABVP took objection to the play and stopped the performance, the artistes started heckling and assaulted them.
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Chadha, others wouldn't have left AAP had it followed 'right' path: Anna Hazare
Mumbai (PTI): Social activist Anna Hazare has said Raghav Chadha and six other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha members would not have quit the party had it followed the "right" path.
"Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in a democracy. They (Chadha and others) must have faced some trouble, which is why they left," Hazare told reporters on Friday in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra.
AAP Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak addressed a joint press conference in Delhi on Friday, announcing their exit from the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to join the BJP.
Chadha claimed that nearly two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members had quit the party and would function as a separate faction.
"It is their (AAP leadership’s) fault. Had that party followed the right way, they would not have left," Hazare said.
Hazare reiterated that Chadha and others must have faced difficulties within AAP, and that is why they left. "Had the party gone in the right direction, they would not have quit the party," he added.
"There must be some or the other reason (for their leaving AAP). In a democracy, every person has a view about where to stay and leave," Hazare said.
The Chadha-led exodus marks a significant setback for the Kejriwal-led party since its formation in 2012, which followed the momentum of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.
