CHANDIGARH: Four years after the farmers’ long agitation, students of Panjab University have risen in protest against the BJP-led Union Government. They have been joined by farmer leaders, activists from Sikh organisations, and leaders of various political parties, creating a major challenge for the Centre.
Despite the Union Government rolling back its controversial decision to restructure the university’s governing bodies, both the Senate and the Syndicate, students have refused to back down. They have vowed to continue their agitation until the dates for the long-pending Senate elections are announced. On Monday, protestors managed to overwhelm the Chandigarh Police and entered the campus in large numbers to support the ongoing stir.
The protest threw traffic out of gear across Chandigarh (Union Territory) and Mohali in Punjab, with major connecting roads sealed and diversions causing jams stretching for kilometres. The security clampdown effectively cut off Mohali from Chandigarh, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for hours.
Led under the banner of ‘Panjab University Bachao Morcha’, the protest comes just days after the Ministry of Education, on 7 November, withdrew its 28 October order that sought to amend the Panjab University Act, 1947. The order had proposed reducing the strength of the Senate, the university’s apex governing body, from 91 members to 31, and abolishing elections for the Syndicate, its executive body.
The agitation is aimed at safeguarding the university’s autonomy and preserving its democratic election process. Against this backdrop, the protest has taken on a politically charged tone. The ruling BJP and its ideological parent body, the RSS, have become frequent targets of criticism, particularly as they hold power at the Centre. Interestingly, the BJP-affiliated student organisation ABVP, which recently won the post of president in the Panjab University Students’ Union for the first time in five decades, has largely remained absent from the protest, which has been spearheaded by SATH and Students for Society, among others.
The university announced a two-day holiday for Monday and Tuesday, and entry into the campus has been restricted to those carrying valid university identity cards. Police attempted to stop the protestors at the gates, but after they dismantled barricades, officers resorted to a mild baton charge. Despite this, students managed to enter the campus.
Many students were seen arguing with police personnel and raising slogans such as “Go Back Chandigarh Police!” Some jostled with officers to force their way inside, and several even climbed the entry gates to gain access.
Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur personally supervised security arrangements to maintain law and order.
Farmers affiliated with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha held a separate protest near Phase 6 in Mohali after being denied entry into Chandigarh, which caused massive traffic jams. They eventually succeeded in reaching the university campus.
Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) vice-president Ashmeet Singh claimed that many students were denied entry to the campus. Student leader Abhishek Dagar stated that the protest would remain peaceful and continue until the Senate poll schedule is announced. Around 50–70 protestors are expected to camp inside the campus until the final schedule is released, while others plan to disperse later in the evening.
Another student protestor said they would continue to pressure the Centre to announce the Senate elections. During the demonstration, students held placards reading “Students’ Unity Long Live”, demanding the immediate release of the Senate poll schedule.
Meanwhile, sources revealed that the university authorities have submitted a detailed Senate poll schedule to the Vice-President of India, who serves as the university’s Chancellor, for approval.
AAP MP Malvinder Kang criticised the Centre, alleging that it intended to “capture” Panjab University. He also condemned the authorities for preventing students from joining what he described as a peaceful protest.
Leader of the Opposition and senior Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa accused the Chandigarh Administration of turning the university campus into a fortress, with barricades at every entry point and students forcibly kept out.
“Peaceful protest is not a crime, it is a constitutional right. The attempt to crush dissent through brute force is outrageously undemocratic and exposes the BJP’s fear of student voices,” Bajwa said.
He further accused the BJP-led Union Government of orchestrating a systematic takeover of autonomous institutions, undermining their independence through centralised control.
Security personnel equipped with anti-riot gear were deployed at the Chandigarh–Mohali border points, where barricades and sand-laden trucks were placed to block the entry of protestors, including farmers and a group of Nihangs.
The traffic restrictions also disrupted school transport, leaving hundreds of students stranded. Buses travelling from Mohali to Chandigarh were delayed for over an hour, while police had barricaded all approach roads leading to Panjab University, particularly from the Sector 25 side. Commuters were forced to take diversions, causing further congestion across the city.