CHANDIGARH: Gunshots rang out on Panjab University campus on Tuesday evening as two masked men targeted Jashandeep Singh Jawanda, a key functionary of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU).
Two shots were fired at Jawanda, but he escaped unhurt, police said. Panic ensued among those present – the university is particularly crowded these days as Jhankaar Fest is on, and Tuesday’s show included a ‘star night’ concert by Satinder Sartaaj.
The gunmen spread panic in nearby areas as well while attempting to flee, pointing a gun at a temple priest and robbing an Enfield motorcycle from a couple at gunpoint, on which they sped away.
The university cancelled the star night and put the fest on hold. Police remained on campus till late night, gathering forensic evidence, examining CCTV footage, and speaking with witnesses.
The motive for the attack is not yet clear, police said.
The campus was filling up with students, visitors and journalists for the fest – a calendar event – when the two gunmen arrived on a scooter around 5.45pm. Jawanda was standing in the parking lot near the botany department and did not appear to notice the two men approaching him. One of them suddenly pulled out a pistol from his bag and fired two shots at Jawanda. Both missed.
While Jawanda fled for his life, the two assailants jumped back onto their scooter and sped off. They may have been confused or unaware of the university’s layout and ended up at the rear of the Radha Krishan temple on campus, with no way to exit.
Desperate to find an escape route, they dumped the scooter and sprinted into the temple, but the priest stopped them for not removing their shoes. Furious, they pulled a gun on him and threatened to shoot him before running out again.
At a nearby private school, they waylaid a couple at gunpoint, grabbed their motorcycle and sped off. The owner of the Enfield first informed the police control room. It was only when a police team arrived that they learned of the shooting on campus.
DSP (Central Division) Dalbir Singh Bhinder, Sector 11 SHO Japal Singh Bhullar and crime branch officers rushed to the scene, along with forensic teams. After examining CCTV footage, police suspect there may have been four suspects. Police seized the scooter and found fake number plates.
“Two gunshots were fired and nobody was hurt,” Bhinder said. Jawanda’s phone is switched off, and a police team has been sent to his home to check on him, an officer said.
This comes almost exactly a year after a PU student, Aditya Thakur, was stabbed to death at a fest concert. Three students were injured in that assault. The last time a shooting took place at PU was in April 2016, when three students were injured.
