Panjab University protest halts lecture on Sikh Gurus featuring RSS, BJP speakers
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Chandigarh: Tension flared at Panjab University on Monday as students protested a lecture titled “Sacrifice, Equality and Moral Authority: Sikh History, Guru Tegh Bahadur and the Panj Pyare in the Indian Civilisation Ethos.” Speakers included BJP parliamentary board member Iqbal Singh Lalpura, who was the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, and Banveer Singh, Uttar Kshetriya Pracharak Pramukh (North Zone publicity chief) of the RSS.
Protesters from student groups shouted anti-RSS slogans, arguing the campus should stay free of political ideologies. Police from Sector-11 station arrived, detaining several demonstrators and busing them to the station—some continued chanting en route.
Demonstrators accused RSS affiliates of pushing propaganda and demanded the university avoid politics.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) defended the event as a student-led discussion on Sikh gurus' sacrifices for the nation, with no political angle. An ABVP leader stressed RSS's respect for all religions and alleged opponents were eyeing upcoming Punjab elections.