Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, has taken a major step to improve campus security by promoting 10 security guards to the position of Shift In-charge. These in-charges will be responsible for monitoring activities at all gates and important locations within the campus.
Chief of University Security (CUS), Vikram Singh, said on Wednesday that the newly appointed shift in-charges will be stationed at security gates and other critical points on campus. Among the promoted guards, three are women, who will mainly be posted near girls’ hostels to ensure better safety for female students.
This move comes just a month after a serious incident at Gate Number 2 on June 11, when a violent fight broke out between two groups. Videos of the brawl went viral, showing students and ex-students attacking each other with sticks and other weapons.
At that time, only two security guards were present and were unable to control the situation. Following this incident, PU requested the police to take action against the accused and also conducted an internal inquiry against the guards for failing to intervene.
To prevent such events in the future, the university decided to assign senior security staff as in-charges at every gate. This is expected to improve response time and control during emergencies.
Recently, PU has recruited over 50 new security guards, including ex-servicemen, to strengthen campus safety. With the increase in staff, the administration was able to create supervisory roles such as shift in-charges for better coordination.
CUS Singh said, “The appointment of shift in-charges will lead to better coordination and enforcement at PU gates. We have also promoted three lady guards, who will focus on security around women’s hostels.”
According to Singh, this is not the first time that PU has promoted security guards to the rank of shift in-charge. However, reports suggest that there were no such positions in the security roster for the past few years. Bringing this system back is part of the university’s plan to make the campus safer.
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Over the last year, PU has faced several security challenges. These include mismanaged college festivals, uncontrolled student protests, and even the murder of a student on campus. These incidents highlighted serious gaps in the existing security system and forced the administration to make major changes.
As part of the reforms, PU appointed a faculty in-charge for security. Additionally, a former Punjab Police officer and another faculty member have been assigned advisory roles to guide the university’s security wing.
The university is also planning to roll out new measures to control entry into the campus. One such proposal is to allow only vehicles with authorized PU stickers to enter. This will help stop outsiders from gaining access to the university premises.
Officials believe that these steps will make the campus safer for students and staff. With the new system, every gate will have a responsible person in charge to ensure order and act quickly during emergencies.
Campus safety is a major concern in educational institutions, especially in large universities like PU, where thousands of students and staff move in and out daily. Strengthening security not only helps prevent violence but also creates a safe environment for academic activities.
The university hopes that these measures will restore confidence among students and parents, particularly after last year’s incidents. The administration has assured that it will continue to monitor the situation and make further improvements as needed.
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