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Chandigarh Police issue advisory to PU for maintaining peace during upcoming polls
Authorities have been told that no political rally can be organised on campus without prior permission from the UT administration; the varsity has further been asked to allow entry only to people carrying a valid identity card, besides conducting strict checking at the entrance gates to deter any troublemakers entering the campus
In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the model code of conduct, the Chandigarh Police have shared an advisory with Panjab University (PU) to maintain peace on the campus.
As per police officials, a letter has been written to the PU registrar regarding this. Authorities have been told that no political rally can be organised on campus without prior permission from the UT administration. The varsity has further been asked to allow entry only to people carrying a valid identity card, besides conducting strict checking at the entrance gates to deter any troublemakers entering the campus.
As per the advisory, any kind of weapons will not be allowed inside the campus. Operational CCTV cameras need to be installed at major places across the university. Defacement of the campus property with political posters will also not be allowed. PU authorities have been asked to hold meetings with student unions and parties to ensure that the rules are followed.
Surprise checks at hostels, along with night patrolling, will also be conducted by the authorities. Any unauthorised person found on the campus will have to be reported to the police. Abandoned vehicles also have to be reported to authorities, the advisory said.
Police detained seven student protesters outside the vice-chancellor’s (V-C) office on Monday after they insisted on going inside. Student parties, including Students For Society and Sath, had been sitting outside the V-C’s office for the past two weeks, demanding that OBC reservation for student admissions and faculty recruitment.
PU has formed a committee to look into the matter, but it is yet to submit recommendations, even as some faculty members of the same committee were also seen sitting on protest with the students on Monday.
As per PU officials, as the varsity was an inter-state body corporate, it has become a bit complicated regarding whether to adopt the OBC reservation policy of the Centre or the Punjab government. Getting the reservations approved will take a few months, but the process has started, officials said.
Meanwhile, police officials said student parties can peacefully protest on the campus, but have to follow the rules. Earlier, PU authorities had asked the protesters to remove charts and posters that they had put outside the V-C office, terming it defacement, but no action has been taken as of now.
