MIT attack: Six MNS men face serious charges

Pune July 13 Several city leaders of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Sunday gathered at the Kothrud police station and staged a protest for charging six of their workers — arrested in connection with vandalism at MIT in Kothrud on Saturday — with attempt to murder and molestation. Demanding withdrawal of these serious charges against their workers, the leaders claimed that they had no intention to kill or molest any body at MIT.

A group of MNS students wing had ransacked the office of Mangesh Karad, director of MIT, on Saturday. Karad’s secretary had lodged a complaint with the Kothrud police alleging that the MNS members raised slogans against non-Maharashtrian students and then damaged office assets. She said that the activists molested her and also tried to kill her. The MNS leaders told the police that agitation was against the admission of huge number of north Indian students at the MIT in order to collect heavy donation fees.

However, the Kothrud police said that they had not withdrawn the charges relating to attempt to murder and molestation. They produced six MNS workers before the Shivajinagar court on Sunday. All of them have been remanded to police custody till July 16.