PUNE: Students from different colleges and government hostels around the city organised a silent protest on Fergusson College (FC) Road on Tuesday evening, against the arrest of the protesting tribal students in Ahmednagar on Monday night.

Around 40 students were standing silently at the Goodluck Chowk off FC Road, with black ribbons on their faces, and banners in their hands protesting the arrest. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Ravi Tupkar also attended the protest and showed his support to the students.

At least 400 tribal students who were in a long march that was organised a protest against the closure of the canteen service at the government hostels. The students were detained in Ahmednagar on Monday night to prevent them from reaching Nashik.

“The detainment of the students is against democracy. 

There was no need to detain students who were doing nothing else but walking in a peaceful protest march. It’s like the government is trying to curb the voice of the students and their problems. The government hostels across the state where the march was supposed to reach have been put under heavy police bandobast, and the students are being treated like criminals,” Kuldeep Ambekar, city-based student activist who has organised the protest said.

Reacting to the issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the Legislative Assembly, “The government will definitely ensure that no injustice will be inflicted on these children. A meeting will be held with the minister of the concerned department, officials and the decision will be made considering the difficulties of the students involved.”