PU plans to reopen campus in phased manner from next week

PU student bodies that are protesting on the campus demand a detailed schedule; say they will carry on the agitation till it is shared

Hours after student bodies announced to intensify their protest, Panjab University on Wednesday said that the campus is likely to reopen in a phased manner from next week.

PU authorities made the announcement after students threatened to intensify their ongoing protest at the Panjab University campus.

“The varsity is planning to open most likely from the next week in a phased manner, starting with the final-year postgraduate students in some of the sciences departments,” stated the official communiqué.

However, the announcement did not pacify the student bodies.

“Our indefinite protest will continue till PU authorities release the exact schedule for reopening of campus for students. There should be no bar between sciences and social sciences,” said the students in a statement, while also demanding the schedule for hostel accommodation.

The student bodies had initiated an indefinite protest last month with two major demands: reopening of the campus and conduct of the senate’s graduate constituency elections. Even after the polling date was announced on Tuesday, they decided to continue the protest to push the first demand.

As the protest entered 26th day on Wednesday, they even warned of intensifying the agitation. “We will give an action-oriented programme to force the slumbering PU authorities who have been denying us offline education,” they had said in a statement earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, the office of the dean student welfare has issued a circular to all hostel wardens, advising them not to proceed on leave as hostels will be reopened soon. The wardens have also been asked to ensure 100% vaccination of students, research scholars and the canteen staff at the earliest.