Deadlock on, law university students continue protest

Deadlock continued on the seventh consecutive day as the students of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) continued their protest, calling for the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof Jai Shankar Singh, accusing him of making inappropriate comments about their attire and entering the girls’ hostel without intimation.

The university resumed classes on Friday, but it witnessed thin attendance. Several students took to social media to announce that they have boycotted classes. Attendance of students also remained thin at the protest site on Saturday.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday talked to the agitating students and assured them that the state government was committed to deliver justice to them.

During a telephonic conversation with the students, the CM said the state government was committed to safeguarding their interests by all means. Mann said the students were the future of the nation and they would not be allowed to suffer for any reason. He said the high-handedness of any individual or authority would not be tolerated and justice would be delivered to the students.

Expressing solidarity with the agitating students, the CM said the state government was with them in this hour of crisis. He said the government was keeping a close watch over the developments on the university campus.

The protests, which began on September 22, have gained widespread attention, with Punjab Women Commission Chairperson Raj Lali Gill and several public figures, including Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, voicing their support for the students. The protesters expressed gratitude to Gill for her efforts in seeking the VC’s removal.

Former Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University Kirpal Singh Aulakh also criticised Prof Jai Shankar Singh’s actions and demanded his ouster.