Congress’ Channi accuses BJP, RSS of trying to ‘finish’ Panjab University

In a charged political moment on the Panjab University campus, former Punjab chief minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday, 4 November, accused the BJP-led Centre and the RSS of attempting to “systematically finish” one of India’s oldest and most prestigious universities.

Channi, who joined protesting students in Chandigarh, lashed out at the Union government’s recent 28 October notification that restructures the Panjab University Senate and Syndicate, calling it a “murder of democracy”.

The notification, which amends the Panjab University Act of 1947, slashes the Senate’s strength from 91 to 31, abolishes the graduate constituency, and scraps elections for the Syndicate, replacing them with a nominated body.

“This is not mere reform — it is an attempt to take over and silence a democratic institution,” Channi declared, adding that the RSS has now “completely controlled” the university. He urged Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to convene a special Assembly session to discuss the issue and vowed to raise the matter in Parliament. “We will fight it out,” he said, calling on all political parties to unite “above party lines” to defend the autonomy of the institution.

Meanwhile, the protest on campus has intensified. Students, led by the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council, are demanding the withdrawal of a controversial ‘no-protest affidavit’ introduced in June 2025, which they allege curtails their democratic right to dissent. The Council’s general secretary, Abhishek Dagar, has launched a hunger strike against the move, calling it “undemocratic and unconstitutional.”

The Centre’s decision has drawn criticism not just from the Congress but also from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Chief minister Mann on Sunday had blasted the BJP for what he called an “unconstitutional and dictatorial” attempt to alter the university’s character.

“The Centre has no authority to amend the Panjab University Act through a mere notification,” Mann had said, hinting that his government may move court. “By doing this, the BJP has once again revealed its anti-Punjab face.”

As the agitation grows and political voices converge in outrage, the century-old Panjab University — once a proud crucible of democratic debate — finds itself at the heart of a larger battle over autonomy, federalism, and academic freedom.

With PTI inputs