A young woman’s calm but fearless response during Monday’s student protest at Panjab University has turned her into a social media sensation. The student, now popularly known as the ‘Baanh Chhaddo’ girl, has become the unexpected face of courage and defiance in the ongoing campus agitation.
She is Harmanpreet Kaur, a second-year BA (Anthropology) student at Panjab University, hailing from Sri Anandpur Sahib in Punjab’s Rupnagar district. Known among friends for her confident yet composed nature, Harmanpreet had no idea that a brief moment during the protest would make her a symbol of resistance across the state.
The viral video shows Harmanpreet standing in front of a woman police officer at the locked university gate. When the officer is seen holding her arm to stop her, Harmanpreet firmly responds in Punjabi: “Baanh chhaddo… je mere tai pai gayi, fer apna hisaab la li” (Let go of my arm… if you had laid a hand on me, I would have settled the score.”)
Her composed tone and unflinching expression struck a chord instantly. Within hours, the clip went viral across Instagram, X, and Facebook, drawing praise from students and netizens alike.
According to her classmates, Harmanpreet reached the campus early in the morning to enter her hostel but found the gates locked as part of a campus bandh called by student groups demanding long-pending Senate elections. Police were deployed to prevent any confrontation. When she tried to pass through, a woman constable stopped her, leading to the now-famous exchange.
“She didn’t raise her voice or act aggressively. She just stood her ground. That’s what made it powerful,” said one student leader who was part of the protest.
The incident has since come to represent the frustration among students who say their democratic rights within the university have been ignored. For many, Harmanpreet’s words reflected a growing sentiment of self-respect and determination among the youth.
While the university administration maintained that the security measures were precautionary, student unions said the heavy police presence only added to the tensions.
Since the viral clip surfaced, Harmanpreet has been flooded with messages of admiration, with many calling her the “face of fearless youth.” Yet, for the 20-year-old, it was never meant to be a public act. “I just wanted to go to my hostel,” she reportedly told friends later and mediapersons.
