Panjab University Bachao Morcha warns of campus shutdown on November 26

Protests may move to BJP offices

Morcha representatives said that if the Senate schedule is not announced even after the shutdown, the agitation will move beyond the campus. Plans discussed include protests outside BJP offices in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Bathinda. Leaders said the struggle would shift to political centres if the Centre continued to delay decisions on Panjab University’s governance.

Haryana groups join; reject ‘Punjab vs Haryana’ frame

Student leaders placed the Senate issue within what they described as a larger push for privatisation and centralised control under NEP 2020. Sandeep, president of the Society for Students, said, “This fight is not about one election date. It is about resisting a system that wants public universities to behave like private companies and wants Delhi to decide how Punjab’s institutions should run.”

Leaders from both Punjab and Haryana organisations rejected claims that the standoff was a Punjab-Haryana dispute. Haryana groups present included BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political).

Student leaders referred to an October 15 note of the Union Home Ministry discussed at the North Zonal Council meeting. According to them, the note said restoring Haryana’s role could increase internal revenue generation for the university through affiliation fees, and that the proposal had been sent to the Department of Legal Affairs for examination. They said this showed the Centre’s “contradictory stance” in publicly presenting the issue as a Punjab-Haryana clash while exploring financial advantages linked to Haryana’s involvement.

Activist receives rape threats; no FIR yet

A significant part of the Morcha’s meeting focused on rape threats received by Advocate Aman, a state committee member of the Association for Democratic Rights who has been supporting the agitation. She began receiving threats on WhatsApp on November 16 from an unknown number. She submitted a complaint to Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Singh on November 17, which was forwarded to SHO Narinder Patial of Sector 3 police station. Threatening messages continued until November 19.

As of November 20, no FIR had been lodged. Aman told The Indian Express, “The messages said that if I keep speaking against the RSS and BJP, I will face consequences. When you are threatened like this for supporting students, you see how deep this intimidation runs.”

Morcha counters teachers’ and staff bodies

The Morcha also responded to recent statements by the Panjab University Teachers Association and Panjab University Staff Association alleging that the agitation was disrupting academics and creating safety concerns for women employees.

Student leaders termed the remarks “misleading” and said they reflected the administration’s attempt to discredit the protest instead of resolving the core issue of the stalled Senate elections. They said teachers’ own representation in the Senate was at risk.

Ashmeet Singh, vice-president of PUCSC, said, “These staff bodies stayed silent when the Senate was being eroded. Now they are echoing the administration’s line by painting students as disruptive. Teachers and staff are equal stakeholders in the university’s democratic structure, and their own Senate seat has been put at risk. They should be defending the institution, not helping the administration undermine it.”

(The author is an intern at The Indian Express, Chandigarh)