Guhagar cops arrest 5 after 4 Ratnagiri college professors assaulted

Guhagar police arrested two men linked to the December 18 assault on four professors opposing college mismanagement; further arrests pending

Mumbai: The Guhagar police, in Ratnagiri district, arrested two men – Suraj Deokar and Rohan Bhosale – on Tuesday in connection with the assault on four professors of the Khare-Dhere-Bhosale College on December 18. The professors were allegedly attacked by the president and secretary of the Guhagar Education Society, along with seven hired goons. The attack was purportedly planned when the professors opposed administrative mismanagement in the institution.

5 arrested after 4 Ratnagiri college professors assaulted

This was the second round of arrests in the case. The first arrests were made on December 21, after the police registered an FIR against the education society’s secretary, Sandeep Bhosale, along with his accomplices, Ajit Surve and Rakesh Sakharkar.

The victims, professors Govind Sanap, Anil Hirgond, Santosh Jadhav and Neelkanth Bhalerao, were left severely injured after they were allegedly assaulted with iron rods and wooden sticks by the accused on campus on December 18.

Although an FIR was registered against Mahesh Bhosale, president of the education society, he has not been arrested.

The sub-divisional police officer Rajmane and inspector Sachin Sawant are leading the investigation, with mounting pressure from the public and academic institutions to ensure justice for the professors.

Dhananjay Kulkarni, superintendent of police, Ratnagiri district, said: “A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Guhagar PS. Following the first arrests, after further investigation, two more accused were arrested on Tuesday.” The five accused were presented in court on Tuesday for a remand hearing, said police, and the court granted judicial custody for Bhosale and Surve, while the other three accused were sent to police custody until December 26.

Condemning the attack, the Bombay University and College Teachers Union (BUCTU) had organised a protest march on Saturday, which began at the site of the attack and ended at the Guhagar tehsildar’s office. Many citizens, including teachers, students, parents and social activists, also joined the march.

Led by BUCTU President Dr G B Raje and general secretary professor Chandrashekhar Kulkarni, the protestors called for justice for the victims, punishment for the perpetrators, and an investigation into the alleged corruption within the college management. They carried placards with messages such as ‘Our fathers must get justice; the goons must be punished’.

Additionally, a delegation comprising BUCTU leaders and representatives of the victims’ families submitted a memorandum of demands to the Guhagar tehsildar, which included an investigation into the college’s management, and the appointment of an administrator to oversee operations.

Meanwhile, distancing himself from the incident, the college’s principal, Mahendra Gaikwad, claimed he was “unaware of the events as they occurred outside the premises”.