Once bitten, twice shy: PU braces for Morcha’s big meet today

The varsity has remained on the edge for nearly a month now with students first holding a week-long protest against the anti-protest affidavit in the last week of October, which later snowballed when the Centre’s (now repealed) notification for the restructuring of Panjab University’s governing structures – the senate and the syndicate – came into the picture

With representatives of nearly 50 Punjab unions expected to assemble at the Student Centre’s committee hall on Thursday at 1 pm to discuss the Panjab University Bachao Morcha’s (PUBM) next course of action if the senate elections are not announced by November 25, the varsity too has toughened its stance, stating that it is exploring legal options now.

The Chandigarh Police have also amped up security, expecting up to 200 attendees for the meeting. (HT File)

PU registrar YP Verma said the university administration will also hold a meeting on Thursday. “Students have a right to protest, but it has gone on for too long. The road outside the vice-chancellor’s office has remained closed for weeks. While we are open to dialogue, we will explore legal options if the protest continues along similar lines or escalates in any way,” he said.

On the edge for nearly a month

The varsity has remained on the edge for nearly a month now with students first holding a week-long protest against the anti-protest affidavit in the last week of October, which later snowballed when the Centre’s (now repealed) notification for the restructuring of Panjab University’s governing structures – the senate and the syndicate – came into the picture. While the varsity had rolled back the anti-protest affidavit on November 4, the Centre too eventually scrapped the restructuring plans. Despite this, the agitation reached a crescendo on November 10 when over 5,000 outsiders, mostly politicians, activists and farmers from Punjab, stormed the varsity, in what they termed to be a movement to protect the state’s claim over PU. This chaos had spilled onto the tricity roads as the protesters marched towards the varsity. After the November 10 shocker, the varsity finally swung into action, setting up a five-member committee of professors to negotiate with the protesting students, who had now turned the focus on the pending senate elections. The varsity has been without a senate since October 31, 2024, when the previous senate’s term ended.

In the deliberations that followed, the committee repeatedly assured students that the election schedule would be out by November 25 while the students threatened to boycott the end-semester examinations, scheduled to kick off from November 18. The varsity had to subsequently push the exams back by three days. The students, on their part, agreed to stand down till November 25.

Morcha to discuss 2 key agendas

The Morcha’s Thursday meeting has been called to deliberate upon the next course of action if the varsity fails to keep its word. While the Morcha leaders had first sought the Golden Jubilee Hall to hold the meeting, the varsity refused to give permission, instead offering the PU alumni guest house in South Campus as an alternative. The Morcha leaders turned down the option, stating that it was inadequate for the expected turnout.

Among the unions expected to join this meet are the Punjab Students Union, Punjab Students Union (Shaheed Randhawa), Democratic Teachers Front, the 1158 Assistant Professor and Librarian Front, Krantikari Kisan Union Punjab, BKU (Dakhonda) and SKM (Sanyukt Kisan Morcha). The Morcha leaders will be looking at two options – whether to stage a repeat of the November 10 PU Bandh if the senate elections are not announced, or to gherao the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office – a plan that has featured prominently in previous strategy discussions.

Cops on stand-by

The Chandigarh Police have also amped up security, expecting up to 200 attendees for the meeting. A senior police official said, “In the backdrop of the November 10 experience, the force is fully prepared for any escalation, though no traffic restrictions are planned in the city as of now.”

On campus, several internal routes have remained blocked for over a week after the November 10 gathering. The stretch from the department of mathematics towards the vice-chancellor’s office, passing beside the chemical engineering department and linking Gate No 1 to the Administration Block, has remained closed. The road approaching the main chowk from the Administration Block side is also barricaded, with vehicles belonging to some protesters still parked at the spot. Police also continue to investigate the FIR registered in connection with the November 10 bandh though no arrests have been made so far.

Registrar to meet chancellor tomorrow

Registrar YP Verma and secretary to the vice-chancellor Krishan Kumar Saluja will travel to New Delhi on Friday to take up the matter of the Senate poll schedule with the Vice President of India, CP Radhakrishnan, who is the Chancellor of the varsity. According to Verma, the tentative schedule has already been sent from PU’s side and the final call now rests with the Chancellor’s office. The two officials will seek the latest update on the approval.