Chandigarh Police used lathis to prevent protesting students and others from entering the Panjab University campus on Monday, as they demanded a timeline for the long-delayed Senate elections—days after the Central government withdrew its proposal to replace elected bodies with nominated ones.
Despite a call for a campus shutdown, demonstrators gathered at the gates and attempted to dismantle barricades. Police responded with a lathi charge, but protesters, joined by farmers, largely overpowered the security forces and entered the campus in large numbers to join the ongoing agitation.
Why is PU seeing protests?
Protests demanding the retention of elections for Panjab University’s key governing bodies—the Senate and Syndicate—persisted despite the Union government withdrawing its plan to convert them into nominated bodies. Demonstrators, especially those from Punjab, viewed the Centre’s initial move as an attack on the university’s historic autonomy and India’s federal framework.
On November 7, the Ministry of Education revoked its October 28 notification on the proposed restructuring. Yet the withdrawal failed to satisfy the agitators rallying under the Panjab University Bachao Morcha banner.
The group vowed to continue demonstrations until an official schedule for Senate elections is released, issuing a campus shutdown call for November 10. “The rollback is meaningless without elections. This struggle is for restoring campus democracy,” former PUCSC president Archit Garg said.
PUCSC general secretary Abhishek Daggar echoed, “Until a clear election timeline is announced, our protest will continue.”
How Nov 10 protest became focal point
Heavy police deployment was seen on and around Panjab University campus in Chandigarh on Monday, following a student protest call demanding the announcement of long-pending Senate elections.
Students, united under the banner of ‘Panjab University Bachao Morcha’, continued their agitation despite the Ministry of Education withdrawing its controversial October 28 order on November 7. The order had sought to restructure the university’s governing bodies—the Senate and Syndicate—by reducing the Senate’s strength from 91 to 31 members and abolishing elections for the Syndicate.
Refusing to call off their protest, students announced a complete “university shutdown” on Monday to pressurise the government into declaring the Senate poll schedule, which has been delayed for over a year.
In anticipation of the agitation, police barricaded all entry points to the campus and set up checkpoints on approach roads. Security was also tightened at Chandigarh-Mohali border points.
PU Campus Students Council (PUCSC) vice-president Ashmeet Singh said the protest would remain peaceful but alleged that several students were being denied entry to the campus.
Student leader Abhishek Dagar reiterated that the agitation would continue until the Senate election schedule is announced.
The university administration declared holidays on Monday and Tuesday, allowing only those with valid university ID cards inside the campus.
The protest has received widespread support from political leaders across parties, including Punjab minister and AAP leader Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa (Congress), Congress MPs Dharamvira Gandhi and Amar Singh, Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, former Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Shiromani Akali Dal leaders, farmers’ organisations, and artists.
Also Read: AAP team meets Governor on PU restructuring
When will PU senate elections be held?
The Senate's previous term expired on October 31, 2024, leaving Panjab University without an elected body as it awaits the election schedule from the Chancellor’s office—the Vice-President of India.
In the past year, the PU administration has submitted draft election schedules four times to the Chancellor’s office, but has received no response. The ongoing protest has garnered widespread political backing. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann (AAP) has condemned the delay as a deliberate attempt by the BJP-led Centre to wrest control of Punjab’s flagship public university from the state.
Panjab University’s governance is widely regarded as a shared Centre-state arrangement in both control and funding.
Leaders from the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal have also visited the protest site in recent days. Those who showed solidarity include:
- Harjinder Singh Dhami, President, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)
- Giani Harpreet Singh, head of a Shiromani Akali Dal breakaway faction
- Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh
- Former Fatehgarh Sahib MP Kuljit Singh Nagra
- Former Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Singh Dhillon
SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also visited the site, urging the protection of Panjab University’s sanctity and criticising the Centre’s approach to reforms.
Dean of Student Welfare (DSW) Amit Chauhan recently met leaders of various student organisations—excluding the RSS-affiliated ABVP—to hear their concerns ahead of the planned for Monday university shutdown. Chauhan appealed to the students to keep the protest peaceful and assured them that the administration would address their grievances.
Also Read: Senate elections: Police, students clash at Panjab University
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