Panjab University gives protesters chance to recommend reforms to Senate

The Panjab University authorities have given a chance to students and stakeholders, who are protesting the delay in elections to the Senate, to convey their recommendations on reforms in the governing body to the Chancellor.

The members of the protesting group under the banner of ‘Panjab University Bachao Morcha’ today met the authorities over the issue of polls and scrapping of FIR on 14 students after they allegedly tried to disrupt Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s event on the campus on October 13.

The authorities proposed that a committee of stakeholders, including students, Fellows, alumni, teachers and non-teaching staff, can be constituted which can give suggestions on reforms to the Senate. The suggestions will be forwarded to the Chancellor. The protesters are yet to hold an all-party meet to reach a consensus on the proposal.

However, student leaders have claimed that the university authorities are using the FIR to weaken the protest led by students, bringing them to negotiating table.

Five members from the ‘morcha’ — Fellow Simran Dhillon, Avtar Singh from Student Organisation of Panjab University, Rimaljot from SATH, Gagan from Punjabnama and Gursimran Arif Ke from Shiromani Akali Dal-backed Student Organisation of India, held a meeting with five-member body comprising Dean of Student Welfare Prof Amit Chauhan, Prof Navdeep Goyal, Prof Emanual Nahar, Prof Nandita and Prof Sukhvir Kaur. The meeting was chaired by VC Prof Renu Vig.

The students have been demanding the rolling back of the case, which has received attention from leaders, including Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi.

2 panels formed earlier

In 2018 and 2021, committees under the chairmanship of retired Justice Dr Bharat Bhushan Parsoon and Prof RP Tiwari, respectively, were formed which had recommended reforms to the Senate, including reduction in size of the body, reduction in number of polling booths, restriction on getting elected twice to the body and vesting more powers in the Syndicate. The reports of both the panels had been sent to the Chancellor.

Fatehgarh Sahib MP meets protesting students

• Fatehgarh Sahib MP Dr Amar Singh on Monday reached the campus to meet the students who are protesting the delay in elections to the Senate, tenure of which has ended on October 31.
• “It is absolutely wrong to implicate students in FIR when they were protesting peacefully, demanding elections to the university’s governing body,” the MP said while assuring his support to the students.