Chandigarh: Curbing campus hooliganism on new PU security OSD’s priority list
Tejinder Singh Sandhu who retired as SP (Detective), Bathinda, in 2024 said he had been following the recent incidents at PU, including the stabbing of a university student at singer Masoom Sharma’s concert organised on March 28 at south campus
Tackling campus hooliganism and entry of outsiders at Panjab University (PU) will be the top priority of former Punjab superintendent of police (SP) Tejinder Singh Sandhu, who will take charge as PU officer on special duty (OSD), campus security, on April 10.
This is the first time that such a post has been created by PU in response to the recent instances of lawlessness on campus.
Sandhu who retired as SP (Detective), Bathinda, in 2024 said he had been following the recent incidents at PU, including the stabbing of a university student at singer Masoom Sharma’s concert organised on March 28 at south campus.
“Right now, it’s important to make students feel safe again. We will work towards restoring an academic environment in the campus. Hooliganism and other such behaviour will not be tolerated,” he added.
“PU has expanded at a rapid rate. The south campus is new and the number of students has also increased. The students are like my children, and we will work on making them secure while ensuring we don’t interfere too much with their academic experience at the varsity,” he added.
Sandhu has served different stints in Mohali in the CIA staff and in the state special operations cell, which he said will be useful for his time at PU. He is an alumnus of PU, having studied BA LLB between 2008 and 2011.
He, along with Anil Monga, former chairperson of PU police administration department, will conduct a security audit of the campus and its hostels to identify areas of concern and rectify them. “We will work on this after I take charge. We will chalk out a plan and finish the audit as soon as possible,” he added.
The OSD job is a newly created position by PU. It will be a contractual job and Sandhu’s appointment is for a year. He can get further extension based on his performance, as per officials. Officials said he will work in an advisory role in the current existing hierarchy of the PU security department, with the PU chief of university security Vikram Singh at the helm.
Outsider ban: Varsity to issue vehicle stickers for students, staff
Meanwhile, PU registrar YP Verma has issued an order to ban entry of outsider vehicles from May 1. Stickers will be distributed for vehicles of faculty, day scholars and other staff, and only such vehicles will be allowed entry. Hostellers will not get stickers for four-wheelers, as they are not allowed to keep cars on the campus, as per PU rules.
As per the order, the decision has been taken in the backdrop of recent law and order problems at the varsity. The stickers will be issued by the office of the chief of university security against the registration certificate of the vehicle by April 18. The various department chairpersons have been told to compile a list of employees working under them and day scholars.
Outsiders visiting PU’s departments or offices for any official work will only be allowed entry through Gate Number 1 opposite PGIMER and they will be required to park their vehicles at the parking space near the gate. Vehicles not having university stickers will not be allowed entry into PU’s campuses from any gate from May 1 onwards.
