’Centre trying to destroy PU’s democratic setup’: Delay in Senate elections reopens old wounds

This is not the archetypal clip erstwhile the governmental parties successful Punjab person alleged that the cardinal authorities was trying to “overpower” PU’s antiauthoritarian structure. The university, which has the country’s vice-president arsenic its ex-officio chancellor, successful June 2022 had seen different enactment erstwhile determination were reports of the Centre’s plans to person the PU into a cardinal university.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had changeable disconnected a missive to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to clasp the statue of PU arsenic an “inter-state assemblage corporate”. Mann successful his missive had stated that astatine the clip of reorganisation of Punjab successful 1966, the assemblage was declared “inter-state assemblage corporate” nether the Section 72 (1) of Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.

“Since its inception, the PU has been continuously functioning successful the authorities of Punjab.. It was shifted from Lahore.. the past superior of Punjab, to Hoshiarpur and past Chandigarh, the contiguous superior of Punjab. About 175 colleges of Punjab are affiliated with PU,” Mann had stated.

The main curate had further stated that arsenic per the Act, the attraction grants to the assemblage were to beryllium shared by Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and UT Chandigarh successful the ratio of 20:20:20:40 respectively, but aft Haryana and HP withdrew from this statement from 1976, Punjab and Chandigarh person borne the fiscal responsibility. Mann had added that the Punjab authorities was giving Rs 42 crore grant-in assistance too Rs 100 crore which is collected from constituent colleges successful Punjab.

“State authorities would not similar immoderate alteration successful the quality and quality of the university… It has an affectional spot successful the hearts of radical of Punjab. It is simply a awesome of Punjab’s bequest and synonymous to Punjab,” the missive had said.

The existent issue

The existing word of the Senate ended connected October 31 this twelvemonth but the caller predetermination has not been conducted, starring to protests by students, governmental parties and different stakeholders. A plea has been filed successful the Punjab and Haryana High Court demanding contiguous elections, portion stating: “the hold successful conducting the legislature elections is simply a usurpation of the provisions of the Panjab University Act, which mandates periodic elections for the constitution of the senate… No tangible enactment has been taken to guarantee that the elections are held successful a timely manner”. The petition further said the hold successful the predetermination is affecting the functioning and governance of the university. The precocious tribunal has sought responses from the Centre and the assemblage by December 9.

Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig had said that she volition instrumentality up the substance with Vice President-cum-Chancellor Jagdeep Dhankhar. Vig had said the varsity had prepared an predetermination docket for the Senate elections 4 times and sent them to the chancellor’s bureau but the support was inactive awaited. “We volition instrumentality up the substance with the chancellor regarding the Senate and what’s to beryllium done adjacent arsenic the word of the erstwhile legislature is present implicit and the varsity does not person a caller Senate successful place,” she had said.

Mritunjay Kumar, secretary, PU Teachers Association (PUTA), said ideally the predetermination should person been completed betwixt April to October 31, however, it has been delayed by astir six months. “Since the substance is presently sub-judice successful the precocious tribunal and the assemblage medication has already written to the chancellor’s bureau for further direction, we request to hold and watch,” helium added.

Dr Hapreet Dua, incumbent legislature and syndicate member; prof astatine GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana, and 1 of the petitioners successful the precocious tribunal demanding contiguous election, claimed for the past 5 years, an effort has been made to “destroy the antiauthoritarian setup” of the university. “The Punjab and Haryana High Court has already fixed a landmark judgement connected the PU’s antiauthoritarian setup mode backmost successful 2021 that the governments cannot instrumentality immoderate specified measurement and PU’s Senate cannot beryllium tampered with. Any specified effort to destruct PU’s cloth volition not beryllium tolerated and we volition spell to immoderate grade to prevention this historical university,” Dua concluded.

Majithia leads protest

The students are protesting nether the banner of “Panjab University Bachao Morcha” demanding that elections beryllium held immediately.

Senior SAD person and erstwhile curate Bikram Singh Majithia Tuesday led a protestation on with students demanding elections beryllium held to the varsity’s Senate and urged UT Administrator-cum-Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to intervene and scrap the mendacious cases registered against students. Majithia besides called for convening a peculiar league of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to walk a solution to request holding of elections.

“I privation to punctual the BJP that you request to uphold the Constitution successful the existent consciousness of the connection alternatively of conscionable pledging loyalty to it. The Constitution came into being to support the antiauthoritarian rights of the people; they should person the close to elite the Senate,” helium added.

Alleging that the cardinal authorities was seeking to bash distant with antiauthoritarian bodies of the varsity, Majithia besides condemned the constabulary enactment against students erstwhile they tried to proceed to conscionable main curate Bhagwant Mann erstwhile helium was visiting the field recently. While condemning the main curate for “unleashing the constabulary connected the students which resulted successful the manhandling of miss students successful the lack of women constables”, Majithia said “it is besides condemnable that students were charged with non-bailable offences”.

He besides appealed to each students to travel unneurotic to prevention the instauration too assuring them that the SAD would combat alongside them and besides assistance them successful their ineligible battle. He besides appealed to the students to taxable an exertion to the Chandigarh SSP arsenic good arsenic the UT head to protestation against the mendacious cases registered against them.

SAD students’ helping Students Organization of India (SOI) president Ranjit Singh Dhillon said repeated attempts were being made to decorativeness Punjab’s close to the varsity with an effort besides being made to affiliate colleges successful Haryana with the university.

Anandpur Sahib MP and elder AAP person Malvinder Singh Kang had besides joined pupil protests precocious and slammed the BJP-led Centre for “trying to undermine the Senate”.

“Undermining the Senate is simply a portion of the Centre’s strategy to summation much power implicit PU. There was nary crushed for the chancellor to hold the notification of election. The Senate is simply a antiauthoritarian assemblage which involves each the stakeholders. He should besides look astatine the sentiments of the students and teachers successful the varsity. I person already written to him and the acquisition curate and we volition further prosecute the matter,” Kang had said.

Other issues

– Arrears of PU employees including teaching and non-teaching staff, arsenic per the revised UGC wage scales, are yet to beryllium released

– Grant of PhD increments is inactive successful the pipeline. PUTA has alleged that Punjab authorities was “dilly-dallying the matter”

– Enhancement of status property to 65 years: Already implemented successful UT Chandigarh colleges but not PU (Case is sub-judice successful precocious court). Current status property successful PU is 60.