As students polls draw close, weapons’ seizures see a spurt on PU campus
As per PU chief of university security Vikram Singh, in the last checking, around 25 weapons per gate were recovered in a single day.
The number of weapons recovered from Panjab University (PU) has seen a sharp rise ever since news spread that police nakas on campus have been removed as a result of students’ protest, officials said.
As per PU chief of university security Vikram Singh, in the last checking, around 25 weapons per gate were recovered in a single day. “It doesn’t just include sticks but also includes sharp-edged weapons such as swords and gandasas. We are patrolling the campus at night and around 60 guards are present in one of three shifts during the day on campus,” he said, adding that neither has the number of cops on campus decreased nor have the nakas been lifted.
The checking points have been set up at several spots, including near the Academic Block and Indian Theatre Department.
Faculty incharge of campus security, Dinesh Kumar added that it is concerning that the number of such weapons being found in PU has gone up. “It isn’t just outsiders, sometimes even PU students are caught with weapons. We confiscate the weapons and hand over the perpetrators to the police. In the case of students, we also ask the dean students welfare to take action against the students,” he added.
When asked if there is any particular party whose members are notorious for bringing weapons on to the campus, he replied in the negative.
Former PUCSC vice-president Archit Garg described how the cops often misuse their power on campus and harass the students. “On Wednesday evening, a surprise check was carried out at the chemistry canteen by the police. A second-year law student, for whom the department has not issued an ID card, was picked up by the cops who threatened to take him to the police Chowki. He was not even involved with any student party and I had to intervene. Such incidents are happening frequently,” he said.
Other parties had also highlighted instances of high-handedness before organising a protest outside PU Administration Block and blocking the road here for over 24 hours.
First major DJ party thrown for PU students
Students’ Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) threw a freshers party for University Institute of Legal Studies at a discotheque in Sector 26 on Wednesday. This is the first such party thrown by a major student body in the run up to the PUCSC elections.
While the poll code has still not kicked in, this party raises questions on how student parties canvas to raise votes. SOPU have named Abhishek Dagar as the candidate for the general secretary’s position, and an announcement was also made to vote for him during the party. He, however, denied having any knowledge about this.
While alcohol was available at the venue, sources confirmed that the party was not giving alcohol to those in attendance, but they were free to buy their own alcohol. It, however, was a cause of concern that most of the attendees were below the legal drinking age of the UT, which is 25 years.
