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Poor Centre-PU coordination, lack of foresight led protests to spiral of control
A senior faculty member said it appeared that the PU top brass was not aware of the impending notification (issued on October 28) and even if one or two of them knew, they failed to foresee consequences.
A lack of foresight and poor coordination between Panjab University (PU) and the Centre are to be blamed for the unprecedented protests that derailed the long-debated senate reforms, which could have ushered in a new era for the varsity. The reforms were notified, put on hold and eventually withdrawn in less than a fortnight.
Former two-time vice-chancellor Arun Kumar Grover, who was a vocal supporter of the reforms, pointed to a lack of coordination between the Centre and the PU administration. “Governance reform issues ought to be handled differently from other Central Universities of India, whose past differs fundamentally from that of PU,” Grover said, hinting at the sentiments that Punjab holds for the university.
A senior faculty member said it appeared that the PU top brass was not aware of the impending notification (issued on October 28) and even if one or two of them knew, they failed to foresee consequences.
Faculty incharge of campus security and former senator Dinesh Kumar said the timing of the notification could not have been worse as it coincided with Punjab Day (November 1), which is associated with the reorganisation of the state in 1966 and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
“Many saw the reforms as another move to undermine Punjab and Punjabis and it not only fuelled passions in Punjab but also elsewhere and political parties came in unison to oppose it,” a senior faculty member said, adding that negative campaigns launched in the state were not countered in equal terms.
Another faculty member said, “The PU top brass had enough time to act. On October 29, when the notification became public, the varsity should have launched a campaign in support of reforms. Pro-reforms academicians should have been roped in to create a positive environment.” The faculty member further said,
“The moment PU got to know about the senate reforms it should have tried to fizzle out the anti-affidavit protest, which had started drawing crowds but was largely led by Haryana. But the university kept dilly-dallying the matter and allowed this protest to continue till November 4. By then, the support against senate reforms had grown.”
Kumar, also pointed out that even on the day of varsity bandh, the varsity faltered. “..the campus security should not have closed the gates. It further flared tempers,” he added.
V-C Renu Vig declined to comment on whether PU could have handled the situation better, but added that in the aftermath of Monday’s mayhem, the university has prepared a schedule and sent it to the Vice-President’s office for final approval. She added that it may take a few days for the new V-P to green light this.
