On Wednesday, law enforcement in Pune filed charges against two students and several others regarding a performance that purportedly celebrated the prominent Maoist figure, Madvi Hidma, during a cultural gathering at a government-operated boys’ hostel.<\/p>\n
The First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Sub-Inspector Shabbir Shaikh at the Vishrantwadi police station late Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
Senior Police Inspector Mangesh Hande confirmed the registration of the FIR against the students, stating, \u201cNo arrests have been made yet. The investigation is ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FIR indicates that the two students, both hailing from Gadchiroli district and enrolled in a Bachelor of Business Administration program at a Pune college, along with others, face charges under sections 197 (1) concerning actions detrimental to national integration, 353 (1) regarding public mischief, and section 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).<\/p>\n
The report asserts that the accused engaged in activities that undermined the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India by presenting misleading content and performing a dance to a song celebrating the dangerous Naxalite figure, Hidma, during the hostel\u2019s cultural event.<\/p>\n
The FIR identifies Hidma as the leader of Battalion 1 of the People\u2019s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), affiliated with the outlawed CPI-Maoist party.<\/p>\n
Attempts to reach the accused students for comments were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
According to officials, a group of nine students, including the two charged, performed a dance to the song “O Re Bandook Wale,” which allegedly glorified Hidma, at the Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Government Hostel in Vishrantwadi, Pune, between April 6 and April 14, in celebration of his 135th birth anniversary.<\/p>\n
The police noted that the event’s theme was ‘Save Trees,’ yet the students chose to dance to a song highlighting Hidma, who was reportedly killed by security forces in Andhra Pradesh in 2025.<\/p>\n
In previous statements to authorities and the media, the accused claimed ignorance regarding Hidma’s status as a Naxal leader, asserting they selected the song solely because it was popular in the Vidarbha region and had an appealing rhythm.<\/p>\n
During their inquiry, the students mentioned that they remixed several songs, including the one about Hidma, which is accessible on YouTube, and performed a dance while dressed to resemble tribal freedom fighters Birsa Munda and Veer Baburao Shedmake.<\/p>\n
Vishal Londhe, Assistant Commissioner of the Social Welfare Department in Pune, expressed that, upon initial review, it appears the students may have innocently chosen to perform the song about Hidma.<\/p>\n
In November of the previous year, a group of young individuals faced arrest for allegedly chanting slogans in support of Hidma during a protest against air pollution at India Gate in Delhi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Wednesday, law enforcement in Pune filed charges against two students and several others regarding a performance that purportedly celebrated the prominent Maoist figure, Madvi Hidma, during a cultural gathering at a government-operated boys’ hostel. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Sub-Inspector Shabbir Shaikh at the Vishrantwadi police station late Wednesday evening. Senior […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10187,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[78,40,149],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-cities","category-india","category-in-pune"],"yoast_head":"\n