Following the call for mass participation on Monday, November 10, tension escalated on the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh, with some clashes between protesters and UT Police at the main gate.
The protesters are now demanding immediate scheduling of elections for the PU Senate – whose previous term had ended last year – after the Center had to withdraw its move to largely cancel the elections for the public university’s governing bodies.
Here are the main points that explain the current situation, the widespread protests; And how this is an issue that goes beyond the university and into the history of Punjab.
Why did there be clash in PU in Chandigarh?
Groups seeking to join protests Made my way through the PU gates Even on Monday morning, heavy police force was deployed and they tried to stop them using sticks. Police were overwhelmed by a large number of protesters, including representatives of Sikh organizations Farmers Union, Who marched.
Police said they were trying to stop outsiders from entering the premises. Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur was seen trying to pacify the protesters at the gate.
Then about 500 protesters gathered at the crossroads In front of the Vice Chancellor’s office, where a temporary stage was built. The protest began with Ardas (Sikh prayers), before speakers addressed the gathering demanding that the university’s autonomy be protected.
Key speakers on the stage included PUCSC vice-president Ashmeet Singh, former senator Ravinder Singh Dhaliwal, student leader Rimaljot Singh and Students for Society president Sandeep. However, other groups also had their own mics. Barring the gathering of protesters, the campus was largely deserted as the administration had already declared a holiday for November 10 and 11.
Why do the state borders remain tense in the rest of Chandigarh?
Around 2,000 police personnel were deployed across Chandigarh, with 12 checkpoints set up, causing traffic disruption, especially on the Zirakpur (Punjab)-Chandigarh Highway.
were there Long traffic jam a few kilometers away on the UT border Police in Mohali and Mullanpur areas of Punjab also tried to stop the influx of protesters from the state.
Why did the protest start, how did the Center back down?
demand for senate elections It has been going on for almost a year, as its previous term ended in October 2024. But the current protests essentially began late last month when the central government sought to amend the structure of PU’s governing bodies.
The central government, through a notification dated October 28, had made a major change in the functioning of the 142-year-old Panjab University, originally established in Lahore, undivided Punjab, India.
The notification to amend the Punjab University Act, 1947, would have reduced the size of its top governing body, the Senate, to 31, and also abolished elections for its executive body, the Syndicate. This move by the Center will eliminate the large constituency of PU graduates for the Senate.
This was seen as an attack on the autonomy of PU, and hence on federalism and Punjab’s claim on the Union Territory of Chandigarh – a complex historical matter.
Center softened by 7th November Notification canceledHaving earlier sought only to postpone its implementation. Nevertheless, the Panjab University Bachao Morcha refused to call off their protest and said that the agitation would continue till the Senate elections are held.
Why PU issue is not just PU issue
This case has some history, which is why it has seen an emotional, political reaction, especially across Punjab.
PU was established in 1882 as Punjab University in Lahore by the British Raj. This makes it one of the oldest universities in India. After partition, as Lahore became part of Pakistan, the eastern part of Punjab took its share and ‘Punjab (‘A’ spelling) University’ came into existence in 1947 by the state. Its headquarters were established in Shimla, Rohtak, Jalandhar and finally in the newly built city of Chandigarh.
Things changed two decades later, when the present states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were separated, and PU became an “inter-state body corporate” under the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, passed by the Parliament. Chandigarh became a union territory, which would serve as the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.
However, PU is not a state or central university. For example, funding is shared between the Center and Punjab. The university has more than 200 affiliated colleges in Punjab and Chandigarh. PU officials told HT that financially, the Center provides a large amount of support to PU – about 85% of the total funding.
But, like with Chandigarh, like with PU, Punjab has seen this aspect of it 1966 reorganization This is a historic mistake made in a Hindu-majority country with a Sikh-majority state. The claim on Chandigarh and related issues have been a factor in the period of insurgency in Punjab in the 1980s and 90s, and have led to occasional disputes with Haryana and other states. above the river waterFor example.
Political parties, sometimes including the Punjab unit of the BJP, argue that Haryana has its own cities and universities anyway, such as those in Kurukshetra, and PU and Chandigarh thus belong to Punjab.
This backdrop makes this protest over PU autonomy a politically charged moment.
The ruling BJP and its ideological parent organization RSS are under constant attack, especially now that they are in power at the Centre. RSS affiliated student organization ABVP recently won the post of PU Students Union President After a gap of five decades, but it has been largely absent from protests organized by organizations like SATH and Students for Society.
How many big leaders joined the protest, what did the CM say?
In this broader backdrop of state-Centre relations and Punjab’s historical grievances, AAP Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann alleged that PM Narendra Modi’s central government is “desperately trying to enter PU through the back door”.
“The state will never give up its rights,” Mann has said.
Apart from former professors and students, members of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) also joined the protest on 10 November.
Punjab activist Lakha Sidhana and actor-director Amitoj Mann were also there, while former student singer Satinder Sartaaj had also recently visited the site of the peaceful protest.
Senior leaders of Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal were expected to arrive later in the day. Many of them have been to the site before.
How the reforms were introduced, and various ideas
The issue of reforming the PU governing structure is not new. M Venkaiah Naidu, the then Vice President of India and thus Chancellor of PU, had constituted an 11-member committee in 2021 to suggest changes in view of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which had submitted its report in the same year calling for a reduction in the size of the institutes.
The university has also argued in the court that the Senate and the Syndicate need to be lenient. It said elections, especially for graduate constituencies, were “complex and cost-intensive”, and not required in the current scenario.
Former NAAC president and member of the 11-member panel VS Chauhan had welcomed the Centre’s decision to reconstitute the governing bodies, before withdrawing it. “We recommended nomination of distinguished alumni by the Chancellor, replacing elections for 15 registered graduates and giving preference to university and college academics – which the Government accepted.” he told HT,
‘Senate has been politicized’ vs ‘anti-democratic approach’
PU officials said the restructuring is in line with NEP 2020’s emphasis on efficient and merit-based governance. An official said, “The earlier Senate was highly politicized. Its election process, involving more than three lakh registered graduates, was time-consuming, expensive and often distracted from academic priorities.”
Protesting activists have said this approach is fundamentally undemocratic and makes sweeping assumptions.
The new Senate was to have 31 members (24 nominated and 7 ex officio) instead of 90 (85 elected and 5 ex officio). Officials had said that Punjab’s representation has not been changed – the Chief Minister of Punjab, the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Education Minister of Punjab will remain as ex-officio members. The 15 registered graduates previously elected to the Senate were now to be replaced by two alumni nominated by the Chancellor.
