Ex-MLA, Fellows join students’ protest for PU Senate election

With the tenure of the Panjab University Senate ending on October 31, the demand for elections to the governing body has grown stronger on the campus.

Former Congress MLA from Fatehgarh Sahib and former Panjab University Campus Student Council president, Kuljit Singh Nagra and five Fellows of the Senate today joined a protest organised by student organisations demanding the Senate elections.

Fellows Dr Shaminder Sandhu, Inderpal Sidhu, Simranjit Dhillon, Sandeep Singh and Ravinder Dhaliwal joined the protesting students outside the administration building of the university. They took out a march from the Vice-Chancellor’s office to the administration building while raising slogans against the delay in the Senate elections and hike in examination fee.

Registrar YP Verma came to talk to the protesters around 2 pm. Nagra reportedly asked the Registrar to show a written document, which stated that the permission must be obtained from the Chancellor to conduct the Senate poll. At the same time, the former MLA claimed that the rules required only informing the Chancellor without needing his permission for conducting the elections.

After the students and activists were stopped from entering the administration block, the protesters sat at the entrance of the building. Addressing the gathering, Dr Sandhu said, “We all should get together and protest to protect the democratic structure of our institutions. Now, the Senate has been targeted. Some day, the student council may get attacked and elections to it may get cancelled as well.”

“The delay in conducting the elections is an indication that the authorities are behaving in a despotic manner,” said Karan Parmar, a student activist. It is important to note that the tenure of Senate, constituted in late 2021, is ending on October 31. As of now, the university has not announced the elections to the body.

Five senators have filed a writ in the high court demanding extension of tenure for another year, claiming that the fellows are elected for four years and that the tenure was wrongfully started from back date. After the university did not reply on October 14, the court gave it time till October 28, failing which an appropriate order will be passed.

Parties jump on bandwagon

Mainstream political parties, too, have jumped on the bandwagon demanding elections to Senate, the governing body of the Panjab University. A few days ago, former Deputy CM and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal had written on X that his party would protest against any attempt to scrap the institution of Senate as well as undue interference in the affairs of the university. Today, former MLA Kuljit Nagra supported the demand.