E-Paper
Poll season returns to Panjab University, so do protests
Three different protests were held at Panjab University campus on Wednesday that crippled the functioning of the university for hours. This comes a day after Chandigarh senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal chaired a meeting at the varsity, where maintenance of law-and-order during polls was discussed
As day-long protests rocked Panjab University (PU) campus on Wednesday, around 12 students were taken into preventive detention from Student Centre (Stu-C) after a face-off between two student bodies. FIR was also registered against a few students for blocking the entrance of the dean student welfare (DSW) office.
This comes a day after Chandigarh senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal chaired a meeting at the varsity, where maintenance of law-and-order during elections was discussed. The election of PU student council is proposed to be held by September-end, after a two-year gap owing to the pandemic.
Three different protests were held at PU campus on Wednesday that crippled the functioning of the university for hours.
While the students protesting for replacement of girls’ hostel warden blocked the entrance of dean student welfare (DSW)’s office, the entrances of varsity’s administrative block were blocked for hours by BCom students who are demanding that their issue be resolved, after hundreds of them failed in a paper recently, which they claim was due to change in paper pattern.
Face-off between NSUI, ABVP
As many as 12 students were detained by police from the student centre after a face-off between members of National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The students from both sides raised slogans against each other. While NSUI and other students were protesting outside DSW office since morning, the members of ABVP had reportedly come to submit a memorandum to DSW but the entry to the office was already blocked.
Sachin Galav of NSUI, who was among the detained students, said that he was exercising his democratic right. “ABVP, acting in convenience with PU authorities, started raising provocative slogans. Their entire objective was to divert attention from the main demand. Conspiracy to create ruckus have been exposed,” he said, adding that universities should be considered as places of constructive debate. Police being there on campus is a matter of shame, he added.
Members of ABVP said their signature campaign regarding their demands was underway peacefully at the Student Centre (Stu-C). ABVP’s PU president Amit Punia said in a statement, “We were getting a good response from students. Seeing that NSUI members were shocked and started shouting slogans against us.”
Later, a case under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) was registered against NSUI members, namely Sachin Galve, Rahul Kumar, Uggar Godra, Sikandar, Sarvotam Rana, Mukul Chouhan, Anurag & others, at Sector-11 police station. PU chief of security Vikram Singh, in the complaint, stated, the students were obstructing the ramp of Student Centre, which led to the DSW office. They blocked the ramp from 9.30am to 5pm and also not allow the staff of the DSW office to enter, the complainant said.
ASA takes our march
Meanwhile, the members of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), protesting since August 6, also took out a march from the vice-chancellor’s office to his campus residence and later marched towards the Student Centre as well. ASA is protesting over non-issue of detailed marksheets and degrees to schedule caste students covered under the post-matric scholarship (PMS) scheme.
ASA in its statement said, “Parents of the students also took part in the protest. No official communication has been given by the PU authority to us so far and we will continue to protest till our demand is met.”
