AAP MP writes to Punjab Governor after SATH activists blacken signboards over omission of Punjabi
The controversy over linguistic representation at Panjab University escalates as political leaders join student protesters in demanding that Punjabi be reinstated on official campus signage.
Removal of Punjabi from signboards sparks protest at Panjab University Written by Dhruv Noatay
The controversy over the omission of Punjabi from newly installed signboards at Panjab University intensified on Thursday, with Aam Aadmi Party MP from Sri Anandpur Sahib, Malvinder Singh Kang, writing to Punjab Governor and Panjab University Chancellor Gulab Chand Kataria, urging immediate restoration of Punjabi on campus signage and calling the exclusion a “painful erasure” of the language from an institution intrinsically linked to Punjab’s identity.
The letter came two days after members of student organisation SATH blackened several newly installed signboards across the campus in protest against the absence of Punjabi from nameplates carrying text in Hindi, English and Braille.
In his letter, Kang said Panjab University held a “sacred place” in his life as a former president of the Panjab University Students’ Council and former Senate member. He said the omission of Punjabi from signboards installed during accessibility upgrades at the University Institute of Legal Studies and other buildings was “not merely an administrative lapse” but an affront to the linguistic and cultural identity of Punjab.
“For an institution named Panjab University, whose roots run deep into the cultural and historical soil of Punjab, this exclusion is not merely an administrative lapse; it is a painful erasure of the language that has been the lifeblood of this University and the identity of millions it serves,” Kang wrote.
He further said sidelining Punjabi in the university’s “physical landscape” sent a distressing message at a time when linguistic diversity was constitutionally protected.
Videos of Tuesday’s protest, which circulated widely on social media, showed SATH activists spray-painting over signboards outside classrooms, faculty offices and restrooms that had been installed as part of recent accessibility and infrastructure upgrades.
SATH activists said the protest was carried out after the university administration allegedly failed to respond to a memorandum submitted to the Equal Opportunity Cell on May 7, demanding inclusion of Punjabi on all campus signage. The organisation had issued a two-day ultimatum to the authorities.
Ashmeet Singh, SATH leader and Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) vice-president, said repeated appeals to the administration had gone unanswered.
In a statement, SATH said Punjabi was the mother tongue of a majority of people in Punjab and central to the identity of Panjab University, making its omission unacceptable.
The incident triggered mixed reactions on the campus. While several students supported the protest as an assertion of regional linguistic identity, others termed it vandalism and demanded disciplinary action against those involved.
Gaurav Veer Sohal, president of PUCSC and an ABVP leader, criticised the manner of protest, saying damaging university property was not the appropriate way to raise demands and that peaceful methods should have been adopted.
Vikram Singh, chief of university security, confirmed that the matter had been taken up with the authorities and a formal complaint had been submitted, including to Prof Shruti Bedi, director of the University Institute of Legal Studies. Prof Bedi said the university authorities were following up on the matter.
The episode is the latest in a series of debates over language representation at Panjab University. SATH, which emerged from Punjab-inspired student discussions and has won key posts in recent student council elections, said it would continue pressing for Punjabi to be included on all campus signboards.
(The writer is an intern with The Indian Express)
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