Chandigarh, Nov 10 (NationPress) Tension at Panjab University campus escalated on Monday, leading to minor confrontations between demonstrators and local law enforcement as students clamored for the senate elections, which were due last year.

The demonstration, which garnered backing from farmers and Sikh organizations primarily from Punjab, as well as various political parties, was declared by students shortly after the Central government revoked its directive to eliminate elections for the university’s governing bodies.

In an effort to disperse the protesting students, the police resorted to a lathi charge on the university grounds. Over 2,000 police officers were stationed throughout the city, establishing 12 checkpoints that caused traffic delays, especially at entry points to Chandigarh from Punjab and Haryana.

Students, organized under the banner of Panjab University Bachao Morcha, received support from hundreds of farmers who breached police barricades along the Chandigarh-Mohali border to join the protest.

The Union Ministry of Education withdrew its prior order on November 7 due to student protests and mounting criticism; however, students persisted with their demonstrations and initiated a ‘PU Bandh’ until a schedule for the Senate elections is made public.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab condemned the police's lathi charge on peaceful students, stating that they were protesting the dissolution of the Panjab University Senate and advocating for fair elections when the BJP-led government responded with aggression.

AAP leader Baltej Pannu asserted that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has repeatedly cautioned that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to exert control over Punjab’s institutions and political framework through coercion and deceit.

“The BJP aims to dominate every democratic institution in Punjab, from BBMB to Panjab University, by misusing central authority and deploying federal forces. However, the people of Punjab will never accept such an infringement on their rights and autonomy,” the party remarked.

The statement indicated that under pressure from the student-led movement, the previous notification dissolving the Senate was retracted promptly, revealing the BJP’s anxiety and duplicity.

Pannu stated, “AAP fully supports the protesting students in their rightful and peaceful struggle for the autonomy and democratic operations of Panjab University.”

Describing the police action as a blatant assault on democracy, Leader of the Opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, accused the administration of turning the university campus into a stronghold, with barricades blocking all entry points and forcibly preventing students from entering.

“Peaceful protest is not a crime -- it is a constitutional right,” Bajwa remarked. “The attempt to suppress dissent through brute force is shockingly undemocratic and highlights the BJP’s fear of student dissent,” he added.