'Gorilla Campaign' At Panjab University As Monkey Menace Becomes Poll Issue

Student Council election campaigning at Panjab University took an unusual turn when students supporting the Independent Students Organisation (ISO) took to the campus with a person dressed as a gorilla to highlight the growing monkey menace on the university premises.

The unique campaign was organised in support of ISO vice-presidential candidate Vipul Bharti. During campaigning, students were accompanied by a person wearing a gorilla costume, turning heads as they moved through the campus, including the girls' hostel area.

Students carrying banners and posters raised slogans while campaigning for Bharti. The unusual visual of the "gorilla" accompanying the candidate quickly became a talking point among students and was aimed at drawing attention to what they described as a serious issue affecting everyday life on campus.

According to the students, the campaign was designed to highlight the increasing presence of monkeys in the Panjab University campus. They claimed that the animals frequently enter hostels, snatch food and belongings and create problems for students.

Bharti said the monkey population on the campus was a major concern and claimed that around 800 to 1,000 monkeys were currently present in and around the university. He alleged that monkeys regularly take away students' belongings from hostel premises and have also become a safety concern.

The students said the issue should not be treated merely as a nuisance but requires a permanent and practical solution from the university administration and concerned authorities.

By turning the monkey menace into an election campaign theme, the ISO supporters attempted to combine humour with a serious student concern. The "Gorilla Campaign" was intended to create a visual impact while pushing the issue into the centre of student council election discussions.

With student council elections underway, the monkey menace has now emerged as an unusual but significant campaign issue at Panjab University. Students are demanding that the administration take concrete steps to address the problem and ensure safer hostel and campus surroundings.