40 PU students rounded up for disrupting seminar on Sikh Guru in Chandigarh

A seminar on the life and philosophy of Guru Tegh Bahadur at Panjab University today witnessed heated protests after some student groups objected to the presence of a functionary associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as the chief guest. Police had to intervene and round up around 40 students to maintain law and order on the campus.

The organisers of the programme invited Banveer Rana, the RSS North Zone Pracharak Pramukh, as the chief guest. Even before the event began, several student organisations had voiced opposition to the invitation.

During the seminar, protesting students raised slogans both inside and outside the venue, creating a tense atmosphere. A student reportedly associated with the PSU-Lalkar also interrupted the programme to register her protest. The event was briefly disrupted. As the situation escalated, the university administration informed the Sector 11 police station. Cops soon reached the campus and tired to disperse the protesting students.

During the intervention, a scuffle broke out between cops and students. Several students were detained and taken away in buses, with some reportedly being dragged by the collar.

Student leaders alleged that during the police action, the turbans of some Sikh students were removed and a kirpan belonging to a student was confiscated. Nearly 40 students were rounded up, who were let-off after the programme concluded. Student leaders maintained that the PU was an academic institution and should remain free from political propaganda. They alleged that individuals linked to the RSS had come to promote their ideology, which they opposed.

According to police officials, the programme was being held on the campus when some students began raising slogans, which created a disturbance and interrupted the event. After receiving information from the university authorities, cops from the Sector 11 police station reached the spot to maintain order.

Police officials said the students were asked to disperse, but when the protest continued, precautionary action was taken and several students were rounded up to prevent the situation from escalating. During the process, brief jostling was reported between police personnel and some students as they were being escorted to police vehicles.

The detained students were taken away from the campus and kept in preventive custody for a short period. Officials said the step was taken solely to restore normalcy and ensure that the programme could proceed without further disruption. The officials added that police presence in the area was maintained for some time to ensure that no further disturbance occurred and there was normalcy on the campus.

Meanwhile, Anandpur Sahib MP Malvinder Singh Kang posted on X, “I strongly condemn the shameful and brutal lathicharge on peaceful students at PU today. These Sikh youths were exercising their democratic right to protest against the distortion of our sacred history. Turbans were pulled off, kirpans seized, students beaten up, detained and criminalised for raising their voice.”