As polls near, PU student bodies resort to protests

Making your presence felt is the first rule for success in politics and the student bodies perhaps are following it to the fullest by staging protests as the student council elections are due in the near future.

A number of student bodies on the PU campus are staging protests on different issues on daily basis. The varsity authorities on Wednesday stepped in to pacify the protesters and to get an idea what their demands were.

Demanding removal of a clerk posted with the Sanskrit department, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leaders are protesting for the last two days and didn’t allow any academic activity occur in the department. They alleged that clerk Shashi Joshi’s behaviour was rude towards the students. A committee has been formed after ABVP representatives met Dean Students Welfare (Women) Nandita Singh. “We are looking into their demands,” she said.

Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) has been demanding transparency in hostel allocations by putting the information on allotments and waiting list online. “The students seeking hostel accommodation belong to as distant a place as Jammu. But still don’t have an idea whether or not they will get hostel accommodation. We also want the facility of online payment of hostel fee,” said Tejinder Dhiman, a leader of PUSU.

Students For Society (SFS) is protesting for the last nine days, demanding strict antisexual harassment rules in place and action in connection with the two sexual harassment complaints.

The students under SFS banner marched through the university, raising slogans in favour of democratisation of Panjab University Committee Against Sexual Harassment (PUCASH) and against gender discrimination on campus. Addressing students, SFS president Arishdeep said, “Authorities are avoiding debating the issue. There silence continues, which casts aspersions on the credibility and credentials of PUCASH members.”