Cheema, held for aiding Nabha jailbreak accused, below par student: PU faculty

A resident of Patiala, Cheema has not attended routine classes for the past fortnight and his academic record shows that he had two supplimentaries in the second semester.

Nabha jailbreak, Armandeep Singh Cheema, Harman Singh Virk, Gandhi Group Students Union (GGSU),, Panjab University, Chandigarh news, Indian Express News

Armandeep Singh Cheema and Harman Singh Virk

ARMANDEEP SINGH Cheema, the campus president of Gandhi Group Students Union (GGSU), is a below average student who always missed his routine classes, said faculty members of the history department at Panjab University. Cheema was arrested by the Patiala police for assisting gangsters involved in the Nabha jailbreak. A resident of Patiala, Cheema has not attended routine classes for the past fortnight and his academic record shows that he had two supplimentaries in the second semester. Currently, he is pursuing third semester in MA history and his attendance was below 40 per cent for the months of July, August and September.

One of Cheema’s teachers, requesting anonymity, said, “We learned about his arrest from media reports. Though he did not interact much with teachers and other faculty members, we also did not find him indulging in any mischievous activities in the classrooms. In July, he attended merely 24 lectures out of 55. In August, he attended 23 lectures out of 59 and in September, 24 lectures out of 60 this year.”

Sukhmani Bal Riar, chairperson of the history department at PU, said, “Cheema is a third semester student in our department. We have started the process of compiling his academic record and forward it to the higher authorities. We are yet to receive any official communication from the police.” Cheema, along with his associate and former GGSU leader, Harman Singh Virk, was arrested by Patiala police for supplying narcotics to gangsters arrested in connection with the Nabha jailbreak and lodged at Nabha jail in Patiala.

A history student said, “Though Virk was a former student of PU, he along with Cheema were occasionally found wandering in the university. Earlier, Cheema used to stay in the hostel but later he rented a flat along with Virk in Chandigarh. The two also have accommodation in Mohali.” Virk and Cheema were arrested for damaging the vehicle of a student leader of a rival party, National Students Union of India (NSUI), outside hostel numbers 5 and 6 in August 2014, days before the student council elections. The damaged vehicle belonged to NSUI leader Sanjeev Sharma. A case was registered at Sector 11 police station. Inspector Lakhbir Singh, SHO of PS 11, said, “An FIR was filed against Cheema and Virk that dates back to 2014.”