A protest by Panjab University students against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls turned confrontational at Sector 17 Plaza in Chandigarh on Monday, with police detaining two students and protesters later demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The march began at the university’s Student Centre and was organised by Punjab Students Union (Lalkaar), All India Students’ Association, Dialectica Students’ Association, Disha Students’ Organisation, Students for Society, PCS, PFUS, NSUI and Sath. Police placed barricades at Sector 17 Plaza to stop the march, leading to a confrontation between the protesters and police personnel.
The students subsequently assembled outside the Punjab Election Commission office in Sector 17. The two detained students were later released after other students demonstrated over their detention, according to the report.
The protesting organisations alleged that police personnel manhandled students outside the commission’s office. They further alleged that male police officers tore the clothes of female protesters and that no female police personnel were present at the site. These allegations were made by the protesting groups and were not independently established in the report.
Addressing the gathering, Sarah, who represented Punjab Students Union (Lalkaar), alleged that the SIR process was being used to deprive people of their voting rights and to advance the political agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She said people would continue to resist what the organisation described as attempts to curtail democratic rights.
The protest placed Chandigarh’s Sector 17, a prominent civic and commercial area, at the centre of a confrontation over electoral administration. The movement from a university campus to a public plaza and then to the election commission office brought students into contact with police arrangements intended to regulate the march and protect access to public premises.
The immediate dispute involved both the SIR exercise and the handling of the demonstration. Protesters sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while the police response included barricading the route and detaining two participants. The report did not include a statement from the police, the Punjab Election Commission or the Chief Election Commissioner in response to the allegations and demands.
The incident also highlighted the operational questions that arise when demonstrations move through high-footfall public spaces. Barricading, crowd control, detention and the presence or absence of female police personnel became central to the protesters’ account of the events outside the commission’s office.
The student organisations have said they will continue resisting what they view as efforts to restrict democratic rights. No further official action or response from the election authorities was reported.
