'Baanh Chhaddo': Harmanpreet Kaur's defiance during Panjab University protest goes viral

Panjab University witnessed tense scenes on Monday as students, joined by political and farm leaders, staged a protest demanding the holding of long-pending Senate elections.

The agitation led to a complete shutdown of the university, with gates closed early in the morning to prevent demonstrators from gathering inside the campus.

Amid the commotion, one student became the unexpected face of the protest after a video of her confrontation with a policewoman went viral on social media. In the clip, the student can be heard saying, “Baanh chhaddo... je mere tai pai gayi fer apna hisaab la li... ladte loki zindabad.”

She has been identified as Harmanpreet Kaur and hails from Sri Anandpur Sahib and is a second-year student in the Anthropology department in the Panjab University.

She later recounted that she had started towards the university around 5 am, but found all the gates locked. She said that she had the I-card and wanted to go to the hostel, but was not allowed.

“None of the university gates were open. When I reached one of the gates, a policewoman held my arm. I only asked her to let me go. Later, they allowed me to enter,” she said.

The incident quickly spread online, with many hailing the student’s calm but firm response as symbolic of the growing frustration among the youth.

The protest, supported by several student organisations and local leaders, called for the immediate scheduling of Senate elections — a key demand seen as central to restoring democratic functioning within the university’s governance structure.

Despite the day-long shutdown, authorities said the situation remained largely peaceful, though security remained tight around the campus.