Protest breaks out outside MU's Kalina campus over alleged assault of student

Student groups protested outside Mumbai Universitys MUrsquos Kalina campus on Friday in support of a Buddhist monk Bhanteji Vimamsa who is a student of the varsityThe protest was held over the alleged altercation with the monk on Monday when Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was present at the Kalina campus on the occasion of MU Teachers Awards and the bhoomi pujan of the Prakrit Pali CentreThe student groups have alleged that Bhanteji Vimamsa was denied a meeting with the minister and he was allegedly assaulted and humiliated by the MU administration They also claimed that a false first information report FIR was filed against him by the policeThe alleged incident took place when Bhanteji Vimamsa was on a 28 daylong agitation demanding that MUrsquos Pali Department get the aided statusIt appears that the university administration is violating the Public University Act and UGC guidelines A minority student despite having permission sought to meet the Union Minority Minister Instead of respecting this right the administration assaulted the student who is a Buddhist monk spread a false narrative and even filed a false FIR This is a highly condemnable act on the part of the university administration stated Advocate Gangurde Santosh the state general secretary of the Maharashtra Navnirman Senarsquos MNS studentsrsquo wingMeanwhile MU in a detailed response on the allegations stated Bhante Vimamsa a PhD student in the Marathi department of Mumbai University has been protesting for his various demands at the Kalina Complex for the past few days In this regard he was informed by the university administration in a letter on August 21 that his protest is illegalrdquoThe university also claimed that on August 26 the registrar on behalf of the administration invited Bhanteji Vimansa or Rajesh Janardan Balkhande for a discussion over his demands at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar BhavanldquoHowever he refused following which the registrar and senior inspector of BKC BandraKurla Complex Police Station Mr Padvi and the security officers went to the hunger strike site to meet him They tried their best to convince him but he continued his protest without listening to their pleasrdquo the university further statedThereafter a meeting was organised with the MUrsquos ViceChancellor on September 11 ldquoIn this meeting Police Inspector Mr Padvi and security officers as well as some dignitaries of the university were present There was a positive discussion on the various demands for about oneandahalf hours However when the meeting was going on he left the meeting without listening to anyonerdquo the university claimedThe varsity administration further stated that on Monday the foundation stonelaying ceremony and the University Award Distribution Ceremony of the Varasa Language and Cultural Studies Centre of Excellence building were organised at the Kalina Complex at 10 amldquoUnion Minister for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju came as the chief guest for the ceremony Around 1050 am after the completion of the foundation stonelaying ceremony at Bhasha Bhavan the Honble Ministers convoy was going towards the Green Technology Hall when the said student jumped over the protective wall of Anna Bhau Sathe Hostel and lay down on the road Security Officer Shri Balasaheb Kharat went to the spot and tried to convince him to vacate the road However the student kicked the security officer in the stomach He also kicked other security guards The student was sent to the nearby BKC Police Station in a university vehicle The report that he was beaten up at this time is completely false and misleadingrdquo the university stated