From SOI roots to SOPU ranks, Jawandha linked to varsity clashes, rifts

CHANDIGARH: A shift from SOI to SOPU, involvement in key election cycles, and links to multiple campus flashpoints- Jashan Jawandha has remained a visible figure in Panjab University politics in recent years. On Tuesday evening, he was allegedly the target of firing near the botany dept parking area.

Jawandha rose inside student politics at DAV College, Sector 10, with the Students Organisation of India (SOI). In 2022 PUCSC polls, he was announced as 'president' at Shiromani Akali Dal headquarters in presence of Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia. Ahead of the 2024 polls, a UIAMS student, he joined SOPU in July and contested for the post of general secretary as part of an alliance. He did not win that election.

That election, however, later drew attention for another reason. During the 2024 polls, Ravi Rajgarh, described by police as an alleged associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, had appeared at the PU Student Centre and publicly introduced candidates, including Jawandha and presidential candidate Anurag Dalal. Rajgarh was later arrested in Ludhiana in July in multiple criminal cases. His presence on campus led to police questioning of both Dalal and Jawandha. Police had said both claimed they did not know him personally and suggested he may have come along with other outsiders who visit the campus during elections.

Jawandha remained active after 2024. In the 2025 PUCSC elections, he backed Abhishek Dagar for general secretary, who went on to win. Around this time, his faction had split from the Balraj Sidhu-led group within SOPU, reflecting internal divisions.

His name has also surfaced in campus confrontations. In April last year, he was allegedly involved in an attack on Sidhu at the Student Centre. On polling day, he was part of a clash involving rival groups. During the same election period, he was detained by police on suspicion of being an outsider, questioned, and had his phone briefly confiscated.

Jawandha was also present during Dagar's hunger strike against the no-protest affidavit issue at Panjab University and was seen when the strike ended after the administration rolled back the requirement. Around that time, sources indicated differences within the group, and he was allegedly involved in another altercation with a person close to Dagar.

His movement from SOI to SOPU, followed by factional shifts within the outfit, places him within the evolving landscape of PU student politics, now under renewed focus after the firing incident.