Pune: Symbiosis College Teacher Arrested for 'Hurting Religious Sentiments'

A Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce teacher, identified as Ashok Dhole, was arrested in Pune for allegedly making disrespectful comments about Hindu deities, police said. A video purportedly showing the teacher making certain remarks in the classroom had emerged earlier. The Hindi professor who taught at the college for 18 years has now been suspended, the institute authorities said. The police arrested Dhole, 43-year-old, on Thursday.

The professor had allegedly made offensive statements about Hindu deities, which ‘hurt religious sentiments.’ The college principal, Dr Hrishikesh Soman, said that a student shot the video during a class. “Later, some members of an outfit approached us with the video and sought action against him. We have suspended him, and this being a government-aided college, the process of initiating inquiry has started,” he said.

Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), staged protests on Thursday outside the college seeking action against the teacher. “A professor in Symbiosis College tried to spread hatred among students by making offensive remarks about Lord Shriram and Hindu deities. Against this incident, ABVP activists staged strong protests in front of the college today,” tweeted the students association. (sic)

Senior inspector VV Hasabnis of Deccan Gymkhana police station said the Symbiosis College teacher was arrested under section 295 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code. He will be produced before a court on Friday.

— with PTI inputs