MNS Student Wing and ABVP Clash Outside Sathaye College in Vile Parle

A dispute over membership registration stalls between workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad escalated into a physical altercation outside Sathaye College in Vile Parle on Wednesday. The clash created tension outside the college premises before police personnel intervened and separated both groups.

Several student organisations across Mumbai have been conducting annual membership drives, setting up registration stalls outside college campuses to interact with students and enroll new members. The confrontation in Vile Parle began over the specific placement of these stalls.

According to the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena, its workers had received permission from the college principal and set up a stall approximately 200 metres from the college entrance. ABVP workers had also secured permission to set up a registration desk outside the institution. However, ongoing construction work at the spot originally allotted to the ABVP forced its workers to shift their setup and place it adjacent to the MNS student wing's stall.

The relocation triggered an argument between members of the two rival student bodies. The verbal confrontation quickly escalated into physical scuffles as workers on both sides took aggressive stances outside the campus gates.

Abhishek Pawar, Mumbai Metropolitan Minister of the ABVP, stated that the organisation's annual registration campaign was underway from 7 am to 6 pm across colleges. He noted that the dispute at Sathaye College occurred strictly over the location of the stalls, describing the altercation as unfortunate while adding that the organisation remains committed to student interests.

Conversely, MNS student wing secretary Nitin Nanaware alleged that ABVP members had repeatedly placed their stalls next to MNS setups at multiple institutions, claiming similar incidents had occurred outside Mithibai College and N. M. College during the previous week. Nanaware also claimed that the ABVP stall had been positioned too close to the Sathaye College entrance, inconveniencing students and sparking an argument that led to the confrontation.

Police arrived at the scene shortly after the scuffle broke out, brought the situation under control, and dispersed the opposing groups.