On Jan 22, men ‘disrupted’ Gokhale institute event, ‘forced’ students to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’

One of the students had attended the event told The Indian Express, “The intruders made the organisers stop the music and were asking everyone to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’. The men placed their chairs at the entrance of the library, in front of the venue area and some of the students who wanted to go home immediately were stuck there as their bags were in the library. The police were called promptly and no one was harmed but it left us shocked.”

The event titled ‘Prom Night’ was part of an annual college events series called ‘Spirit Week’, a letter for which was sent out by the registrar himself. It was originally scheduled for January 15 but was then postponed to a week later due to some logistical reasons.
Around a hundred students and alumni were attending the event scheduled from 6pm to 10 pm in the area outside the college library on January 22.

At around 8. 30 pm about five men entered the premises leading to the event being closed.

“They were angry over us students dancing and partying on the day of the consecration. They were continuously saying that it is an auspicious day and you all should not be wearing short dresses and dancing on this occasion,” the student added.

An official from the university confirmed that some people had entered the premises and disrupted the event.

The registrar of GIPE Kapil Jodh said, “The institute ensures additional security measures whenever student events are organised and has an army veteran as security supervisor for better control. Faculty members and administration officials are nominated to be present during the conduct of events to ensure smooth functioning and safety. The entire campus is under CCTV surveillance.”

When contacted about the sequence of events at the Gokhale Institute on January 22, an officer from Deccan Gymkhana police station said, “Primary information at the time suggested that students of the institute had organised a ‘couples’ day’ event on January 22. Some people, including some students from the institute and some others from outside, took objection to the event since it was also the day of consecration at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. These people then approached the faculty members responsible for the cultural events at the institute.”

The official said that the police were informed about these developments and a team was sent. Their team spoke with both sides and the issue was resolved peacefully, he added.

Meanwhile, a puja ceremony had already been held at the college hostel earlier in the day, donations for which had been collected in advance.

The campus was also decorated with diyas and saffron flags.