CHANDIGARH: The protest mood at Panjab University (PU) has not faded even after the Union Education Ministry withdrew its con troversial notification dissolving the university’s Senate and Syndicate.
For the past few days, students have been staging continuous protests on the campus, demanding that the administration immediately announce the long-pending senate elections.
Vice Chancellor Renu Vig on Friday said that the process to conduct senate elections has begun but the university must complete certain formalities before declaring the schedule. Responding to a question from The Sunday Guardian (TSG), she said, “The university has to check the academic calendar and seek permission from the Chancellor before announcing the senate election dates. After completing these procedures the election schedule will be announced soon”.
Her clarification came amid mounting pressure from stu dent groups who have accused the administration of delaying the process despite the ministry’s withdrawal of its October 28 order. The students’ agitation, which started earlier this week, has intensified over the past few days with slogans and sit-ins continuing outside the administrative block.
The protest erupted after the Centre issued its October 28 notification dissolving PU’s governing bodies the Senate and the Syndicate and replacing them with a new board of governors largely comprising central nominees. The move sparked an uproar across Punjab, with students, teachers, and political parties uniting to oppose what they called an “attempt to seize control of the state’s oldest and most au tonomous university”.
Under heavy criticism from all quarters, including from within its own ranks, the Union government withdrew the notification on Thursday, restoring the previous structure. Union Minister of State for Railway Ravneet Singh Bittu, who had initially supported the move, apologised to Punjabis and said the ministry had decided to maintain the status quo. But the rollback has not ended the unrest.
Student organisa tions say that the Centre’s retreat does not resolve the funda mental issue —the absence of a representative Senate due to pending elections. “The ministry may have withdrawn its order, but the university still lacks a democratically elected Senate,” said a representative of the Panjab University Stu dents Union (PUSU).
The Senate is PU’s highest decision-making body, respon sible for framing academic, administrative, and financial poli cies. Its members are elected from among teachers, gradu ates, and representatives of affiliated colleges. The Syndicate, drawn from the Senate, handles the university’s day-to-day administration. The previous Senate’s term expired earlier this year, but the election process was halted amid uncertainty following the Centre’s restructuring attempt.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, whose government had sharply criticised the Centre’s move, said the ongoing pro tests reflected the students’ awareness and resolve. “Punjab will not allow any interference in the university’s democratic functioning. The Senate elections must be held without delay,” he said in a statement. Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also welcomed the students’ stance saying, “The Centre tried to impose control but had to withdraw. The next step is to restore full democratic functioning through elections”.
Faculty members have echoed similar views, saying that without an elected Senate, the university remains incom plete. “The Centre’s notification may have been cancelled, but the democratic process must now resume immediately. The Senate is essential to uphold accountability and academic freedom,” said a senior faculty member from the Department of Public Administration.
The protests, led by major student bodies including Stu dents for Society (SFS) and PUSU, AAP student union ASAR, have turned the PU campus into a hub of political debate and student activism. Banners reading “Announce Senate Elections Now” and “Restore PU Democracy” hang across the main gates, while discussions on university autonomy dominate the corridors
