Pune: PSI suspended after vandalism in Lalit Kala Kendra in SPPU

Pune: A Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) attached with the Chatuhshrungi Police Station has been suspended as he did not report the vandalism at the Lalit Kala Kendra to his seniors in time.

Following the controversy over the staging of a play depicting characters from Ramayan and the arrests of some students and the HoD, members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) vandalized the office of the Lalit Kala Kendra. The police failed to take security measures in time. Hence, the PSI faced the suspension.

The suspended PSI has been identified as Sachin Shankar Gadekar. His suspension order has been issued by Addl CP Ranjan Kumar Sharma. While assuming charge of his office, the newly appointed CP, Amitesh Kumar, had told the media that he would give top priority to law and order in the city. This action was taken after the row and the vandalism in the SPPU.

PSI Gadekar was deployed at the Lalit Kala Kendra on bandobast duty. He failed to take timely action and did not seek the help from the Rapid Action Force. A play was being staged at the Lalit Kala Kendra in the SPPU as a part of the internal examination, where members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and BJYM force-stopped it objecting to its content. A day after, the BJYM members raised slogans and ransacked the office of the Kendra and threw ink on its premises.