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Brawl breaks out between student parties on campus ahead of Panjab University elections
Incident took place a day after a slogan war erupted between Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti and other student bodies at the Panjab University
A day after a slogan war erupted between Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) and other student bodies at the Panjab University (PU) Student Centre, the situation worsened on Wednesday with a brawl between the parties.
CYSS had organised an event at the Student Centre Coffee House to announce new members joining their party from other student parties. Dharamkot MLA Davinderjeet Singh Laddi Dhose, who had announced the CYSS campaign squad on Tuesday, had again come to the university for the Wednesday event.
Meanwhile, other student parties had collectively organised a protest at the Student Centre against the AAP-led Punjab government over the death of a 70-year-old farmer during a protest at Longowal in Sangrur on Monday. Cross-sloganeering, similar to that seen on Tuesday erupted, and as the MLA was leaving, he was surrounded by protesters, who questioned what the Punjab government had done in the farmer’s death case and also demanded relief for farmers who suffered crop damage due to rains.
PU security guards and Chandigarh Police intervened, and while Dhose was able to leave, his assistant allegedly got beaten up by protesters.
A brawl broke out between different parties, but police controlled the situation. As per police officials at the Sector 11 police station, nobody was injured or detained. CYSS submitted a complaint, but no FIR was registered.
Students For Society president Sandeep alleged, “Parties are bringing politicians to the varsity on a daily basis, which is unacceptable. These people are then misbehaving with the students and manhandling us.”
Meanwhile, CYSS state chairman Navaldeep Singh said, “We were organising our event peacefully. They don’t have any important student issues to talk about, so they are turning to such tactics.”
Dean students welfare Jatinder Grover said entry of outsiders was strictly banned and this message will be conveyed to the PU security officials again. He added that a meeting was held with the police on Tuesday for better coordination for keeping outsiders and their vehicles out of the campus. Meanwhile, the UT administration is yet to pick a date for the student polls, which are expected to take place in second week of September.
