PU senate elections: Committee to submit recommendations
The committee has been constituted under the chairpersonship of RK Singla, former dean university instruction (DUI) of PU and will have two DSWs, an associate DSW and Rattan Singh of University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS)
Deadlock over senate elections between students and PU breaks; new committee formed to submit recommendations regarding senate reforms

Following the protest by Panjab University (PU) students, since the end of October, for conducting senate elections; the deadlock between them and PU authorities seems to have broken as the students have given their consent to be a part of a new committee that will prepare recommendations regarding senate reforms.
The proposal for forming the fresh committee was first put forward in November by a committee of former deans student welfare (DSWs). Students earlier had refused this, however, even then there was a section who had maintained that the “morcha” should have their voice heard through this medium. They have now prevailed, and names of four students including members of Sath, Punjabnama, Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) and Ambedkar Students Forum have been put forward.
Composition of the panel
DSW Amit Chauhan, who is also a part of this committee, said, “There was some dispute regarding the composition of the committee. We had called the students on Monday and have agreed to their demand of having a representative of the Punjab government also included in the panel. We plan to hold the first meeting soon.”
The committee has been constituted under the chairpersonship of RK Singla, former dean university instruction (DUI) of PU and will have two DSWs, an associate DSW and Rattan Singh of University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS). Along with the four student representatives, Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) president Anurag Dalal will also be a part of the panel.
The committee members said they will hold discussions regarding the 2018 report prepared for senate reforms and the recommendations chalked out during the discussions will be sent to the chancellor’s office.
Coordinator of Punjab University Bachao Morcha, Gagandeep, who is one of the four student representatives in this committee, said they don’t agree at all with the earlier senate reforms report. “We will put our point forward that there should be no reform which affects the representation of students and Punjab state in the senate body. We will ask that the number of nominated members should be reduced instead of graduate constituency and all four student council members must have a seat and a voice in the senate body.”
He added that there are other issues as well which must be addressed including reservations in the senate’s structure which they will discuss. He said the authorities have assured them that they will speak to the Punjab government regarding sending a representative to be a part of the committee.
Morcha divided over the move
Not all students, however, agree with joining this panel. Students For Society (SFS) president Sandeep had opposed this move. “The senate is the apex body of PU and no committee has the power to make any changes to it. By forming such a committee, we are setting up a precedent which can be used in later instances to further make changes to the senate and I am totally against this,” he said. This divide is also visible in the morcha now, which has recently announced that they will adopt a minimum support policy, in which they can have differences but they will all stand united on the PU senate issue.
The senate is the apex governance body of Panjab University. It has a four year term, and ever since its term got over on October 31 the university has been working without a senate. Protests from students and senators have been going on since the last week of October. The authorities had also filed a police complaint and gone to court ove rthe protest, while no action has been taken till now in the FIR registered against students for attempting to disrupt Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s event on November 13.
