Chandigarh: Several student leaders were detained by Chandigarh Police on Monday after protests erupted against an RSS-linked programme at Panjab University, with demonstrators alleging that police used force to disperse them.
Members of various student organisations gathered on the campus to oppose the event and attempted to march towards the venue. Police stopped the protesters at the auditorium gate, following which several students were taken into custody and shifted to a police station.
Student leaders, including Joban, Sarah Sharma and Sandeep, claimed the university administration had earlier assured them that the programme would be cancelled after objections were raised. However, they alleged that the event went ahead despite those assurances.
The protesters said they were holding a peaceful demonstration when police allegedly manhandled them while preventing them from entering the venue.
According to the student groups, the protest was organised against the participation of speakers Sadhvi Rithambara and Shanta Kumari, alleging that they represent divisive and patriarchal ideologies associated with the RSS.
The protest had been called by the student platform PU Against Saffronisation, which had announced its opposition to the programme a day earlier.
There was no immediate response from the Panjab University administration or Chandigarh Police regarding the students’ allegations.
