Pune: COEP Student Says Congress Approached Her for Rahul Gandhi’s Event, Asks Not to be Dragged Into Politics

Pune, 22nd August 2026: A student of the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) has claimed that she was approached by the Congress to attend the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme scheduled in Pune on Saturday, hours before Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was due to address the event.

She was the same student who has blamed university over various issues earlier and it was alleged that she was forced to record an apology video to share on social media platforms later.

In a self-recorded video released ahead of the programme, the student said she was thankful to Gandhi for extending an invitation to meet him but had decided not to attend as she was “mentally not in a position to speak anything”.

“I am a simple student and have no connection with politics or any of the protesters. Hence, my name should not be used for political purposes,” she said in the video.

The student also said the protests on the COEP campus had affected the atmosphere at the institution and appealed for the campus to be kept away from political activism.

“I request that my name should not be dragged into any political drama,” she said.

Her video comes a day after clashes were reported between workers of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday night. The clashes followed allegations involving the same female student who had reportedly raised concerns over college fees and was allegedly made to record an apology video, which was subsequently circulated on social media.

NSUI workers alleged that students were locked inside hostel rooms, while ABVP workers alleged that NSUI members had threatened students. Both sides have traded allegations following the incident.

The developments have since brought the dispute on the COEP campus into the political spotlight, with the student now appealing against the use of her name in what she described as a political controversy.

Rahul Gandhi is in Pune to attend the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ programme organised by Congress and women students have been invited to attend it.