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Protest for senate polls: PU bans vehicle entry sans stickers; declares holiday for 2 days
Even as the central government on Friday evening rescinded its notification on restructuring the senate, the students protesting under the banner of Panjab University Bachao Morcha decided to proceed with the university shutdown on November 10
Amid the students’ ongoing agitation for senate elections, Panjab University has prohibited the entry of vehicles without stickers and won’t allow outsiders to protest on the campus.
Even as the central government on Friday evening rescinded its notification on restructuring the senate, the students protesting under the banner of Panjab University Bachao Morcha decided to proceed with the university shutdown on November 10.
Subsequently, a circular was issued by the PU registrar on Friday evening, banning entry to the university campuses without university identity card and stickers on the vehicles. In addition, protests, if any, will only be allowed by students/employees and not by any outsiders.
PU has also declared holidays on Monday and Tuesday, as per officials. The AC Joshi Library will also remain closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Guests not allowed in hostels
Meanwhile, to prevent outsiders from staying at the hostel before the shutdown call, the dean student welfare (DSW) has also issued instructions to all wardens not to allow guest entry in any hostel till further orders.
This wasn’t being implemented fully on Saturday. While around four to five security guards were present at each gate as per chief of university security Vikram Singh, checking wasn’t done for all vehicles passing through.
Students from various organisations, including Sath and Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), even moved the barricades that had been put for checking vehicles at gate numbers 1 and 2, while announcing that everyone is free to come to PU for Monday’s bandh call.
Normal checking resumed after the students were done filming themselves for social media posts.
Meanwhile, locks were also placed in rooms of the PU guest house, where senators meet with their guests. This was highlighted by former Punjab cabinet minister Vijayinder Singla, when he went there with some former senators.
Amid sustained political backlash in Punjab and ongoing protests at PU, the Union ministry of education on Friday withdrew its notification to restructure the senate and syndicate, effectively restoring the earlier governance system.
A new notification issued by the Centre on Thursday, under Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, rescinded the November 4 notification. However, despite this students claim they can’t trust the government and will continue to protest till the elections are notified.
PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig said PU will follow the protocol to finalise a schedule for the next senate elections and send it to the chancellor, the Vice-President of India, for his approval.
“Earlier, the file on senate reforms lay pending with the chancellor’s office so the approval wasn’t given, even as we had sent the tentative schedule four times. This time with the confusion cleared, we expect that it will be accepted and notified immediately,” Vig added.
She said even if everything proceeded smoothly, it was unlikely that the new senate will be in place before August next year.
Himachal Pradesh PWD minister Vikram Aditya Singh and his wife, Amreen Kaur Sekhon, a PU alumna, also visited the protesting students on Saturday evening.
UT police step up security
In view of the tense situation prevailing on the campus, Chandigarh Police have tightened security arrangements and stepped up surveillance at all entry and exit points.
Police personnel have been deployed at the university gates to conduct thorough checking of incoming vehicles to ensure no weapons or prohibited items are brought inside the campus. Additional police teams have also been stationed around the hostels and key academic blocks to prevent any untoward incident.
Court order restricting protests ignored
A local court had issued an interim order on December 18, 2024, placing restrictions on holding protests at PU. PU had immediately written to the police to implement it, stating that student organisations had been restrained from breaching the peace and from obstructing any passage/roads leading to the offices of V-C, dean university instructions and the registrar, and causing any kind of inconvenience to the visitors/students/teaching and non-teaching staff or others who visit the university.
As per the order, students cannot block any of the main gates. Further, their demonstration shall not be held outside any of the residential areas of any of the officials of PU. Students were told only to protest at the designated area near the Health Centre.
However, this order has not been complied with, evident from multiple protests in recent months. Both the police and PU authorities have passed the buck on the matter, while lawyers have confirmed that the case is still sub-judice and the order remains valid.
