E-Paper
Litterers and outsiders throw students, traffic off at PU as election day nears
Panjab University (PU) campus bore witness to chaos in the form of traffic snarls, littering, minor scuffles and detainment of outsiders ahead of the impending student body election
Amid the campaigning blitzkrieg ahead of the student council elections, Panjab University (PU) campus on Friday bore witness to chaos in the form of traffic snarls, littering, minor scuffles and detainment of outsiders.
With only a few days left until the October 18 polls, rows of SUVs were seen moving around the PU campuses at a leisurely pace, throwing traffic between the Sector 14 and Sector 25 entrances into disarray.
Students campaigning for different student bodies were also seen tossing their party stickers up into the sky. They, however, defended the littering, saying they cleaned the campus after.
Students also complained of outsiders loitering on the campus for campaigning. “The increased movement of vehicles created chaos during the day,” a PU security personnel said.
A face-off was also reported between members of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) at a time when the campus was abuzz with campaigning activities.
Varsity authorities did not comment on the littering or the traffic snarls.
Outsiders detained
Police officials said they will strengthen security on the campuses and the number of police personnel will be increased starting Saturday after outsiders were detained on Friday.
Three youths were on Friday detained after firing shots from a dummy gun on campus. Following complaints, police detained the accused near hostel number 7 and recovered the dummy gun (one used to fire thermocol pellets) and walkie-talkies from them. Police said the youth were taken to the station for verification. Sources said they were outsiders. No case had been registered till filing of the report.
Police also detained around 50 outsiders from the campus.
In an early morning raid at hostels, around six hostellers drew a ₹5,000-fine each for hosting outsiders. Another round of checking was also carried out at hostels late on Friday night.
Working day at varsity today
PU also announced that all its teaching departments will remain operational on Saturday given the upcoming student polls. October 19, meanwhile, has been declared as a holiday.
