A day following the arrest of Ashish Banginwar, the Dean of Pune Municipal Corporation's Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College, the protest erupted as both the Congress and the MNS rallied against the incident.
Banginwar was apprehended by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding a ₹16 lakh bribe from parents seeking admission for their child through the management quota.
Caught red-handed by the ACB, Banginwar was in the act of accepting ₹10 lakh of the bribe. In response, protests unfolded with Kasba MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, accompanied by former MLA Mohan Joshi, attempting to question college officials. As per teh information shared by the leaders, their inquiries were met with evasive answers, prompting activists accompanying Dhangekar to splash ink on Banginwar's office nameplate and voice their outrage.
The backdrop of the incident involved fifteen students seeking admission to the medical college under the government-approved management quota, which carries a fee of ₹22.50 lakh. Banginwar allegedly demanded ₹16 lakh from a student's parents for admission. Following the parents' complaint, the ACB initiated a sting operation that led to Banginwar's apprehension while accepting ₹10 lakh of the bribe. The ACB is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the case.
Expressing dissent, Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar protested by writing 'A thief sits in the car' on Banginwar's vehicle. Ashish Sable Patil, the District Chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena, also led a symbolic protest where activists draped Banginwar's nameplate with a garland made of fake notes. In a parallel action, MNS activists vandalized Banginwar's office.
Patil underscored, "Bharat Ratna Atal Behari Vajpayee Medical College was established to provide medical education to students from ordinary families. Given the recent bribery incident involving Ashish Banginwar, there could be significant irregularities. Therefore, an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should be initiated."
