Chandigarh, August 6 — With Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections approaching, students from across the political spectrum have raised concerns over what they describe as excessive police presence inside the campus.
In a meeting with the Dean of Students Welfare (DSW) and hostel wardens, representatives from nearly 10 student parties demanded that police checkpoints—referred to as nakas—within the university premises be removed and security checks be limited to the gates.
“This is the first time three nakas have been set up inside campus,” said Karan Singh Parmar, senior leader of the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP). “Nearly 100 police personnel are deployed, and this kind of presence gives off a message that PU is unsafe, which isn’t true. It’s scaring away prospective students and their parents.”
The issue surfaced after students were reportedly issued traffic challans within campus limits, which many called unnecessary and intrusive. The growing discontent also reflects a broader unease with administrative decisions over the past year.
Sarah, a former presidential candidate from PSU Lalkaar, likened the police deployment to “the university’s increasingly autocratic style,” referring to recent crackdowns on protests and police cases filed against students.
DSW (Women) Namita Gupta acknowledged student concerns, adding that they are coordinating with the administration to address multiple issues flagged during the meeting.
“We’ve received inputs related to traffic congestion and intra-campus mobility,” she said. “One student had asked for a shuttle bus service between North and South Campus. We’re finalising the route and plan to launch the service in a few days.”
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) is expected to hold a dialogue with all student organisations later this week to address their grievances.
Meanwhile, university security personnel have reported a disturbing trend—an uptick in weapon recoveries at the university gates. According to campus guards, five to six weapons are being seized daily over the past few days. Officials have yet to clarify the nature of these weapons or whether any arrests have been made.
As the elections—likely to be held in the first week of September—draw closer, tensions are mounting over the balance between security and freedom on campus. While authorities maintain that the deployment is a preventive measure, students argue that it risks criminalising political activity and undermining the spirit of student democracy.
