Chandigarh, November 10 — Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday condemned the police lathicharge on students protesting at Panjab University, calling it an unprovoked and excessive use of force against a peaceful demonstration.
In a statement issued here, Warring said the Chandigarh Police, assisted by Haryana personnel, used “brutal force” to stop students from reaching the university campus. He said the move reflected the administration’s failure to understand the “grave sensitivity” of the matter.
“The people of Punjab have strong sentiments attached with Panjab University that go back to nineteenth-century Lahore when it was founded there,” Warring said, warning the administration not to treat the matter as a “routine or casual” issue.
The Punjab Congress chief alleged that the central government and the university authorities had triggered unrest by scrapping the Senate and Syndicate and delaying elections. “When students demanded a time-bound election schedule, they were manhandled instead of being heard,” he said.
Warring extended full support to the students’ demand for early Senate elections, saying the issue had become symbolic of democratic accountability. “We not only support the students’ peaceful demonstration but also seek a clear schedule for Panjab University Senate elections,” he added.
