Tension gripped Panjab University during student council elections as students, alleging they were denied voting rights, protested and scuffled with police. Security was breached, and police were deployed to restore order on the campus.
Tension prevailed at Panjab University on Monday as several students staged protests and raised slogans inside and outside the Law Department area over the ongoing Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections, alleging that they were not being allowed to cast their votes despite completing the entry process.
The protesting students continued raising slogans against the police and university administration. Some students also breached the security arrangements put in place by the university administration and managed to enter the premises. The situation escalated as a scuffle broke out between the police and students. Security personnel have been deployed at the spot to maintain law and order.
Student Politics and Alliances
Earlier in the day, the Student Organisation of India (SOI), the student wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), extended its support to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for the PUCSC elections.
According to an official post by ABVP, the alliance between ABVP and SOI was announced on Sunday, a day before polling for the PUCSC elections began at 9:30 am on Monday. The alliance came after the nomination papers of the SOI candidate were rejected, preventing the organisation from contesting the elections directly this year. Following the development, SOI announced its support for the ABVP-led alliance.
Heightened Security Measures
Meanwhile, security arrangements were intensified across the university campus, with strict checks being conducted at all three entry gates amid concerns over the movement of outsiders. Authorities have heightened vigilance to maintain law and order during the election process, with security personnel deployed at key locations and checks being carried out on vehicles and visitors entering the campus.
Broader Political Context
The alliance between the Akali Dal’s student wing and ABVP comes days after senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia told ANI on August 21 that people in Punjab wanted the two former allies to come together, citing the state’s status as a border state and the importance of maintaining social harmony. (ANI)
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