A leadership dispute at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College in Nagpur has escalated into a police case after Principal Dr Bhuvaneshwari Ashok Mehere alleged that her office was broken into and official records, student examination forms and a CCTV hard drive were taken. Bajajnagar police have registered a case against professor Dr Deepa Panekar, Siddharth Mhaiskar, Avinash Ghodpe and Ram Ghode.
The FIR follows a complaint submitted by Dr Mehere, who stated that she has been serving as the college’s regular principal since 13 April 2022. According to the complaint, the alleged incident occurred at about 9am on 14 November 2026, when Dr Panekar and the other accused, along with others, allegedly broke the lock of her office and entered without authorisation.
The items allegedly removed included employees’ service books, other personal documents, students’ examination applications and the hard disk connected to the college’s CCTV system. The police investigation is ongoing, and the allegations in the complaint have not been established by a court.
The police case is the latest development in a dispute over who should occupy the principal’s post. The report by Loksatta states that the then chairperson of the Deekshabhoomi Memorial Committee issued Dr Mehere a notice removing her from the position on 27 January 2025. Dr Mehere challenged that action before the University Tribunal on 20 August 2026.
The University Tribunal ruled in Dr Mehere’s favour on 1 October 2026, according to the complaint details reported by Loksatta. Following that decision, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University cancelled the temporary approval granted to Dr Panekar to serve as acting principal on 3 October.
The dispute subsequently reached the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. The report states that the court, on 30 October, set aside the related demotion orders and upheld Dr Mehere’s position. The sequence of tribunal, university and court actions has left the college administration at the centre of an extended institutional contest.
The alleged removal of service records and examination applications gives the dispute an operational dimension beyond the question of the principal’s appointment. Service books form part of employees’ official records, while examination applications are linked to students’ academic administration. The alleged removal of CCTV hardware could also affect the availability of evidence relating to activity inside the office, although the investigation will determine the significance of that material.
The case also places responsibility on the police and the college authorities to establish how access to administrative records was obtained, who controlled the office and whether the documents and equipment were recovered. Loksatta reported that Bajajnagar police registered the case on the basis of Dr Mehere’s complaint. Further action will depend on the investigation and the evidence collected by the authorities.
