Punjab: In fight for autonomy, students force Delhi on the backfoot

What started as a protest by Panjab University students against attempts by New Delhi to keep them away from ‘politics’ has quickly snowballed into a statewide movement. The Union government, which surreptitiously replaced the elected Senate and the Syndicate with nominated bodies, has been forced to withdraw its orders. The students, however, have refused to ease the pressure, demanding immediate announcement of Senate election pending for over a year.

Parallely, the Union government’s increasing impatience to force educational institutions to fall in line with its ideological framework, prompted the ill-advised decision to make it mandatory for students to submit an affidavit at the time of admission, stating they would seek prior permission for organising or participating in any protest, dharna or rally.

They were also asked to give an undertaking affirming they would not cause disruptions and ‘noise’ during protests and were warned that repeated violations would result in debarrment from examinations and even cancellation of admission.

The ‘news’ on the mandatory affidavits were met with demonstrations and rallies which escalated into a hunger strike. Students pointed out that the affidavit did not have the approval of the Senate — the university’s democratically elected policymaking body, elections to which are pending.

Believing that the affidavit was meant to impose a particular ideology, the students raised slogans such as, 'Khaki kachha phatega/ affidavit hatega (khaki shorts [alluding to RSS uniform], will get frayed/ the affidavit will be scrapped)'.

Student leader Divyansh Thakur declared, “If democracy is denied in the campus, it will not survive for long outside the campus either.” Soon political leaders began visiting the campus. Among them, former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, himself a Panjab University alumnus, who expressed solidarity with the students.

On Punjab Day, 28 October, the Union government quietly issued a notification dissolving the 91-member elected Senate of Panjab University and replaced it with a 32-member nominated body. The Syndicate — the executive arm of the Senate responsible for implementing university policies — was also converted into a fully nominated body.

For decades, the elected Senate–Syndicate structure has helped the university preserve its autonomy, but now that very system was being dismantled. The notification, issued with every attempt to keep it a secret, became public after a report in The Tribune, triggering outrage and protest across Punjab.

Panjab University, one of the oldest in India, is not merely an educational institution for the state — it carries a deep emotional significance. While the foundation stones of the universities in Madras, Calcutta and Bombay were laid in 1857, Panjab University was founded in 1882 in Lahore. Even St. Stephen’s College and Hindu College in Delhi were once affiliated to it before the establishment of Delhi University.

It is also the only university in India to have directly experienced the trauma of Partition, splitting along with the country. For several years, it operated from multiple temporary locations, until Chandigarh became the capital of Punjab and the university finally found its permanent home on its lush 550 acres.

When Punjab was reorganised along linguistic lines in 1966, leading to the creation of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, most colleges in the region remained affiliated with Panjab University. They shifted affiliation over time as new universities were established in these states. For the people of the state, the university also emerged as a cultural marker — something that set Punjab apart from Haryana and Himachal.

The changes imposed on the Senate and Syndicate by the Union government — which gives 60 per cent funding to the varsity — struck a deep chord in Punjab’s collective consciousness. Many said that Punjab had still not secured full rights over Chandigarh, and was now being stripped of Panjab University as well.

Addressing students at the protest site, Ashmeet Mann, vice-president of the university’s students’ council, declared, “This university was built by demolishing 28 villages in Punjab. Nobody can deny us our claim to this land… The central government wants to take away our university, our water and our fields, we will not let that happen.”

This sentiment resonated widely. With civil society groups also extending support, and gauging that the situation could spiral beyond control, the administration withdrew the circular on the affidavit.

This ended the hunger strike, but by then the movement had grown significantly. A Panjab University Bachao Morcha had taken shape. A key argument was that the Senate and Syndicate were created under an Act passed by the Punjab Assembly, and the Union government could not override provisions of a state-enacted law.

As the agitation gathered momentum, the ripples were felt in Delhi. On 5 November, the Union government issued a notification suspending implementation of the 28 October order. Two days later, it withdrew the 28 October order.

Students now want that the dates for Senate elections be announced immediately. Meanwhile, the protest site at the university is looking like a pilgrimage spot. Apart from political leaders, it has attracted cultural icons and Punjabi singers like Satinder Sartaj, Gulab Sidhu and Babbu Maan.

The mood is reminiscent of the 2020 farmers’ agitation at Delhi’s borders. Music, street plays and poetry sessions are a regular feature as speeches recall freedom fighters.

The protest has now moved beyond the boundaries of a university dispute and evolved into a debate over Punjab’s identity itself. Alongside concerns about the university, demands for Chandigarh’s transfer to Punjab have resurfaced with renewed force.

One slogan frequently heard at the protest site captures this sentiment: 'Mitthi dhun rabab di, Panjab University Punjab di. Soha phool gulab da, Chandigarh Punjab da (sweet is the melody of the rabab, Panjab University belongs to Punjab. The rose has blossomed, Chandigarh is Punjab's)'.

A call for Punjab Bandh on 10 November drew widespread response. Nihangs on horseback and farmers on tractors joined protesting students in large numbers. Asked why farmers had joined the agitation, farmer leader Tejveer Singh said: “Our children study here too.”

As reports of the swelling crowds reached the administration, the university was sealed. Soon, another incident caught public attention. Harmanpreet Kaur, a second-year student, attempted to cross a barricade. When a female police officer grabbed her arm and stopped her, she retorted: “Baanh chhadd, nai te hisab la lain aapna (let go, or your accounts will be settled.”

Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh praised Harmanpreet’s courage. Another singer, Marjaana Maan, composed a song inspired by her, which has since gone viral on YouTube. The protest had found its poster girl.