[1] The stand off began when Dr Blessings Chinsinga, who was an associate political science professor, was interrogated by Peter Mukhito, Malawi's Inspector General of Police.
In a political science lecture he had drawn comparisons between Malawi's fuel crisis and popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt during the Arab Spring.
This move received much criticism from faculty at the university including president of the Chancellor College Academic Staff Union (CCASU), Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula.
It also prompted protests from the University of Malawi students, predominantly from the Chancellor College and Polytechnic campuses, who stood in solidarity with Chinsinga and CCASU in support of academic freedom.
The failure to resolve this matter and a stand off occurred between lecturers and students on one side, and the President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika.