CHANDIGARH, 10 Nov — Student protests at Panjab University over the delay in Senate elections turned violent on Monday, as demonstrators clashed with police while trying to enter the campus through Gate No. 1, reportedly seizing police canes in the scuffle.
The university campus had been heavily guarded in anticipation of the protest, with barricades and police buses deployed following a call for a ‘PU Bandh’ demanding notification of the elections.
Student leaders accused the administration and police of using force to suppress their mobilisation. “The security measures are undemocratic and illegal,” one student leader said.
Prominent political figures visited the protest site, including Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Congress leaders Partap Singh Bajwa and Rana Gurjeet Singh, as well as MPs Dr Amar Singh and Dr Dharamvira Gandhi. Former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Punjab Congress leader Dalvir Singh Goldy, Haryana farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, and Himachal minister Vikramaditiya Singh were also present.
IG Pushpinder Kumar and Chandigarh Police SSP Kanwardeep Kaur reached the campus to oversee law and order.
The unrest stems from the Centre’s recent overhaul of Panjab University, which has triggered ongoing political tensions in Punjab and Chandigarh, despite the rollback of some controversial changes.
