Student unions from universities across Punjab, including Panjab University (Chandigarh), Guru Nanak Dev University (Amritsar) and Punjabi University (Patiala), have mobilised their cadre to raise support for Chandigarh University (CU) students. This comes after the varsity campus saw protests regarding the video recording incident.
Though the CU authorities have declared holidays for one week at its campus in Mohali and students are going home after their major demands were agreed upon, the student unions have raised their voices against the "insensitive" and "unprofessional" handling of the entire issue by the authorities, as per a report by ANI.
On September 17, Saturday, a woman student was accused of recording objectionable videos of fellow hostellers. The student was arrested and two other men were arrested from Himachal Pradesh in connection on September 18. One of the arrested men is the "boyfriend" of the woman. All the arrested persons were remanded for a week by a court on September 19.
The students alleged premature statements by the Punjab Police, including from several senior officials of CU. The unions have demanded not just clarity but an explanation from the CU authorities and Punjab Police on the handling of the video scandal. Even though the accused has told the police that she has made a video of only herself and sent it to her boyfriend, the students believe otherwise.
There were two protests at different locations on the CU campus yesterday, September 19, with the first occurring at about 2 pm and the next at about 6 pm. The student union leaders have alleged several discrepancies in versions of the police and what could be seen in the interaction between the prime accused and the warden. They urged the students to stand in support of their peers at CU, as per ANI.
