Chandigarh: What began as a dispute over an admission help desk outside Panjab University’s Law Auditorium snowballed into a violent confrontation Friday afternoon, with members of rival student organisations ABVP and SATH clashing in full public view while science admissions counselling was under way inside the venue.The clash unfolded before hundreds of prospective students and their parents, turning one of the university’s most important admission exercises into a scene of chaos marked by aggressive sloganeering, scuffles and the use of tent rods as weapons.The controversy centred on an ABVP help desk set up outside the auditorium. SATH members objected to its presence, alleging that student organisations had not been allowed to install such help desks since 2017 and accusing the university administration of selectively favouring ABVP.The dispute first surfaced in the morning when outgoing Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) vice-president and SATH member Ashmeet Singh, along with other members of the organisation, objected to the help desk. Around 1 pm, SATH uploaded a video alleging that the university authorities had violated the long-standing practice by allowing the installation.ABVP members, however, maintained that the help desk had been permitted by the Dean Students Welfare (DSW) office and produced a copy of the permission letter. Despite this, heated exchanges between the two groups continued through the afternoon.Around 2pm, Dean Students Welfare Prof Yogesh Rawal reached the spot and attempted to defuse the situation by speaking to both sides. The area SHO also arrived shortly afterwards and held discussions with SATH members in an effort to prevent the dispute from escalating.SATH members gave the administration an ultimatum to remove the structure by 2.30 pm, failing which they said they would act themselves.When no action was taken within the deadline, a group of slogan-shouting SATH members marched towards the Law Auditorium around 2.40 pm. They shut the entrance gates and got into a confrontation with university security personnel, who tried to stop them from moving towards the help desk.Within minutes, members of both organisations came face-to-face. The verbal confrontation soon turned physical as SATH members attempted to remove the ABVP help desk, damaging it in the process. The situation deteriorated further when alleged outsiders associated with both groups picked up metal canopy rods and swung them at one another, even as police personnel and university security staff tried to separate the rival camps.Around 3pm, SP (central) KM Priyanka reached the spot and reviewed the situation. Police remained deployed outside the Law Auditorium to prevent any further escalation. Till late evening, no FIR had been registered, with police stating that they were examining video footage and recording statements before deciding on further action.Videos of the clash showed chaotic scenes outside the auditorium, with police struggling to control the crowd while anxious parents and applicants watched from close quarters.The Dean Students Welfare office later clarified that permission had been granted only for the help desk and not for erecting a canopy over it. According to the DSW office, university security had been instructed to have the canopy removed. Security officials, however, maintained that by the time they could act, the dispute had already escalated beyond control.The incident once again raises questions over the university’s preparedness to handle politically sensitive situations during the admission season. Despite the presence of senior university officials and police personnel, the confrontation escalated into violence at one of the busiest admission venues on campus.With student elections expected in the coming months, Friday’s clash is likely to be viewed as an early indication of an increasingly confrontational political atmosphere returning to the campus. The fact that the violence unfolded during admissions counselling, when first-time students and their families were visiting the university to make key academic decisions, is likely to invite criticism of the administration’s handling of the situation.
