Cop pushed during PU polls rally, video goes viral

A sub-inspector rank officer was manhandled by a group of youngsters at the Panjab University campus during one of the rallies taken out by a group contesting the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) on Monday evening. The video, which was widely circulated on social media, purportedly shows the officer getting pushed by a group as he tried to approach the candidates. The rally also featured the students’council president from another university. The video posted on an Instagram account, has since drawn around 4 million views. “It wasn’t anything major, I was present at the spot. Due to heavy rain, the rally timings of two groups clashed and to stop simultaneous rallies, the officer approached the candidates. The police were present there to stop any untoward incident,” said Inspector Jaiveer Rana, Sector 11 SHO.

“The officers were the first to push us, but that part was not recorded by anyone. We didn’t harm anyone,” said the presidential candidate of the party seeking anonymity.

In a welcome departure from the past, tensions did not flare up. “There was a tense moment, but it settled down within minutes. Posting such videos on social media was not required. It’s like opening a Pandora’s box,” added an eyewitness.

On the eve of voting, varsity authorities also recovered weapons including baseball sluggers, hockey sticks, iron roads throughout the day. The recovered weapons were deposited at the campus police post.