5,000 protesters smash past police barricades, storm into Panjab University

CHANDIGARH: The Panjab University Senate issue, believed to have been resolved after the Centre's quick U-turn on its plans to restructure the body, erupted on Monday in a campus turmoil not seen in decades. What was a students' call for a campus shutdown to demand quick senate elections turned into an overwhelming show of strength by thousands of protesters of all hues - farmer organisations, Panthic outfits, social groups and the All-India Sikh Students Federation . They smashed police barricades and two locked gates, clashed with Chandigarh Police and stormed into the campus in organised groups. By afternoon, over 5,000 people were in the university - including a young Nihang atop a horse holding up a sword as he rode past the VC's office.

The student demonstration had transformed into a politically driven incursion.Univ stir turns into assertion of identity, administrative claim This stopped being about the senate today. It became a political mobilisation by external elements. Panjab University should not be used as a platform for such political agendas. This institution cannot be turned into a theatre for power contests from outside. I urge all groups to respect the academic character of this university," VC Renu Vig said.

PU had declared Monday and Tuesday holidays in view of the shutdown call. PU authorities have already submitted the senate poll schedule to vice-president C P Radhakrishnan, who is chancellor of the university, for approval, but it did nothing to stop the protests. The face-off started around midnight when groups of protesters from outside gathered along with students before the locked gates and raised slogans.

A tense face-off with police ensued, and Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur intervened to ease tensions. Before daybreak, Chandigarh police started setting up barricades at the entry points to screen vehicles coming from Punjab. But groups of protesters did get through and began massing in front of PU gates where 2,000 cops stood guard. Slogans for PU's autonomy were replaced with "Panjab University Punjab Di" and "Chandigarh Punjab Da (PU and Chandigarh belong to Punjab)".

And speeches increasingly referenced the university's historic link to Punjab and the political debate around Chandigarh's control. The senate-centric protest turned into an assertion of identity and administrative claim. By university estimates, not more than 500 of those inside were PU students. SSP Kanwardeep Kaur was present when police resorted to a brief lathicharge and detained several people. Former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress MLA Pargat Singh, Anandpur Sahib AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang, AAP MLA Sukhanand and NSUI Punjab chief Isherpreet Sidhu also joined in the protest.