Pune: 5 Students, Professor Arrested Over Allegedly Offending Religious Sentiments in ‘Ramleela’ Play

All’s well that ends well but the ending of the ‘Ramleela’ play staged on a university campus in Pune didn’t go as imagined. A professor and five students from Savitribai Phule Pune University have been arrested on charges of allegedly offending the religious sentiments of the Hindu community, according to news agency PTI.

The arrests were made in connection with a play based on ‘Ramleela’ that purportedly contained objectionable dialogues and scenes. A viral video of the performance depicted a male artist, portraying Sita, smoking a cigarette and using offensive language.

The play, staged on the university campus, resulted in a confrontation between members of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and students from Pune University’s Lalit Kala Kendra.

The production by Lalit Kala Kendra, officially known as the Centre for Performing Arts, focused on the backstage banter of actors involved in various roles in ‘Ramleela’. Following a complaint filed by ABVP functionary Harshvardhan Harpude, a case was registered under section 295 (A) of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to the deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class, along with other relevant provisions.

Among those arrested by the police are Dr. Pravin Bhole, the head of the Lalit Kala Kendra department, and students Bhavesh Patil, Jay Pednekar, Prathamesh Sawant, Rishikesh Dalvi, and Yash Chikhle.

(With inputs from PTI)

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