CHANDIGARH: Political outrage erupted across Punjab after the Union Government issued a notification on October 28, dissolving the 59-year-old Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University, with the order coming into effect from November 5. The decision to replace the university’s elected bodies with nominated ones has drawn widespread condemnation from the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), who accused the Centre of “dismantling democracy” and “saffronising” one of India’s oldest educational institutions.
The sweeping changes, notified under the PU Act, 1947 (East Punjab Act 7 of 1947), have abolished the Graduate constituency altogether and slashed the Senate’s strength from 90 members to just 31, including 18 elected, six nominated and seven ex-officio members. For the first time, the Chandigarh MP, the UT’s Chief Secretary and Education Secretary have been included as ex-officio members, alongside senior officials from Punjab. The restructuring means elections will now be confined only to professors and college principals, while the alumni and graduate community will have no say in the university’s affairs.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema lashed out at the Centre, calling the October 28 notification “a direct assault on institutional democracy.” He said the order, which takes effect from November 5, “is designed to suppress Punjab’s role in its own historic university.” Cheema announced that the AAP government would move legally against the notification, calling it unconstitutional and violative of the university’s long-standing traditions of academic self-governance.
“When 13 out of 31 members are nominated and the Graduate constituency is abolished, it’s no longer an academic democracy but a bureaucratic control system,” Cheema said. “We will challenge this order in court to protect Panjab University’s autonomy. The Centre cannot erase the rights of Punjab’s academic community through a notification.”
AAP MP Malwinder Singh Kang also criticised the move, saying it reflected the BJP government’s “centralising mindset.” He said, “By dissolving the elected Senate and Syndicate, the Centre has not just attacked Punjab’s rights but also the spirit of democracy in education. This is a politically motivated move to saffronise Panjab University and silence dissenting academic voices.” Kang added that the decision “sets a dangerous precedent” and accused the BJP of “systematically trying to take over autonomous institutions across the country.”
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring issued a sharp statement, calling the Centre’s action “a shameless attempt to saffronise a historic institution.” He said, “Scrapping the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University and replacing these with nominated members is a blatantly crude attempt by the BJP and the RSS to hijack a historic institution of the country.” Warring accused the BJP of following the “RSS rule book to capture all major academic and cultural institutions.” “No Punjabi will tolerate it,” he said, asserting that Panjab University is deeply tied to Punjabi identity, culture and pride. “If the BJP thinks it can snatch this institution from Punjabis, it is miserably mistaken. Those who have proposed this idea are ignorant of the pride Punjabis take in their institutions. Better don’t play with fire—you will burn your own fingers only.”
The Congress said the Centre’s notification, set to take effect on November 5, has “snatched away the democratic character of Panjab University.” Party leaders said the Senate and Syndicate were symbols of participative governance, where alumni, graduates and faculty had equal voice. “Replacing them with nominated members turns the university into a bureaucratic extension of the Centre,” they said, urging immediate withdrawal of the order.
The Shiromani Akali Dal also condemned the decision, calling it arbitrary, authoritarian and unconstitutional. SAD spokespersons said the move ignored the sentiments of the academic community and “turned Panjab University into a bureaucratic arm of the Union Government.” The party warned that if the decision was not rolled back before November 5, it would join hands with other opposition parties for a united agitation.
Founded in 1882 in Lahore and reconstituted in 1947, Panjab University has long been a symbol of Punjab’s intellectual, linguistic and cultural identity. The Senate and Syndicate, formed on November 1, 1966, represented the spirit of democratic participation in academia for nearly six decades. The October 31 notification, effective November 5, effectively ends that legacy, replacing elected representation with nominated control.
Political observers believe the move could spark a state-wide debate over federal rights and autonomy in education. For the first time in years, Punjab’s three main parties—Congress, AAP and SAD—appear united, demanding restoration of the elected structure and protection of Panjab University’s historic autonomy.
All three parties have urged the Centre to revoke the October 31 notification, refrain from enforcing it on November 5, and restore the elected Senate and Syndicate to preserve the democratic and academic ethos of Panjab University.
