THANE: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students' front of the RSS, Thursday held a protest against Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray's presence as the chief guest at the inauguration of the Kalyan sub-centre of the Mumbai University (MU).
Police said they detained around 60 ABVP activists for allegedly trying to disrupt the function.
The ABVP argued that since Thackeray does not hold any constitutional post, unlike MPs and MLAs, calling him as the chief guest of the university event was uncalled for.
"ABVP workers held protests against the presence of Aaditya Thackeray at the inauguration of the sub-centre of the university in Kalyan.
They protested during the speech of the university vice chancellor," a police official said.
Aniket Ovhal, state secretary of ABVP, said, "The students were opposed to the presence of Aaditya Thackeray as the chief guest at the function. They did not mind the presence of ministers, MLAs and MPs as they hold constitutional posts. But in case of Thackeray, it was not the case. Our agitation was against the university and the VC who had invited Thackeray for the function," he said.
According to a police official, the ABVP activists raised slogans and tried to disrupt the function during the speech of the VC.
Some of them even exchanged blows with the students' wing of the Shiv Sena.
Apart from the university VC Dr Suhas Pednekar, Thane Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde, Minister of State Ravindra Vaikar, Kalyan Dombivli Mayor Vinita Rane, MP Dr Shrikant Shinde and local MLAs were present on the occasion.