Another resolution at PU senate: To take back complaint against 68 students

“To build conducive environment and to reach out to the protesting students, the complaint and subsequent proceedings against them should be withdrawn," said the Senate

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Students celebrate outside the Administrative Block at Panjab University on Sunday. Sahil Walia

THE PANJAB University Senate on Sunday resolved that the complaint lodged by the varsity against 68 students following violent campus clashes on the issue of fee hike would be withdrawn. At a Senate meeting which lasted 10 hours here, a unanimous resolution was drafted with regard to the decision to withdraw the complaint apart from setting up a committee that would monitor the developments regarding the withdrawal of criminal proceedings against the students. The committee would meet every week to record the progress in this regard so that the cases and complaint could be withdrawn against the students before the beginning of the next academic session in July this year.

The clashes between students and police took place on April 11 when the joint action committee comprising members of various student organisations gave a call for PU bandh and were protesting against the hike in fees. The Senate in the resolution said: “To build conducive environment and to reach out to the protesting students, the complaint and subsequent proceedings against them should be withdrawn.” The Senate also requested the UT Administration to take steps to move the court for closure of the case.

The resolution was moved by Senators Pawan Kumar Bansal, who is a former union minister, and D P S Randhawa. Former PU vice-chancellor R P Bambah questioned incumbent V-C Arun Kumar Grover if he would have done the same if his wards were involved in the protest. He said that the police should not have been involved to deal with the protest by students and this should be kept in mind for future as well. “We do not endorse violence but at the same time we should not send them to jail,” Bambah said, adding that the university should have its own disciplinary mechanism.

Prof Rajesh Gill said that the university authorities tried to escape from the situation and avoided talks with students that led to a crisis. “The crisis could have been avoided if the university authorities had taken the initiative to talk to the students,” she added. Bansal said that the university should not be converted into a police cantonment.

“Police presence should be bare minimal on the campus and the police should be called only in case of extreme emergent situation,” he said, adding that educational institutions should resolve issues with students on their own and the police should not be involved in any case.

The Senators questioned why a complaint levelling charges of sedition was given to the police by Chief Security Officer Ashwani Kaul. They said because of this, the university had to face embarrassment all over the country.

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