With the standoff over the delayed Panjab University Senate elections intensifying, the university’s Registrar and the Vice-Chancellor’s Secretary left for Delhi on Thursday for a scheduled meeting with the Union Education Minister. Registrar YP Singh said in a video statement that the meeting will focus on the current situation on campus and the ongoing demands for an immediate announcement of the Senate poll dates.
According to the Registrar, the visit was planned earlier and has already been communicated to the protesting students. He appealed to them to maintain calm on campus as the university continues discussions with the Union government.
However, the appeal comes at a time when student groups are firm on their ultimatum. The Panjab University Bachao Morcha has declared that if the university does not announce the Senate election schedule by November 25, the campus will be shut down completely on November 26. All classes, academic block work and administrative functioning will be suspended that day, the Morcha said. It has also warned of protest actions outside BJP’s district and state offices, with dates to be announced soon.
The call for intensified agitation follows a large meeting held on campus, where over 50 organisations from across Punjab and Haryana joined the students to discuss the next steps. Farmers’ unions, student groups and employees’ bodies participated, marking one of the broadest coalitions seen in the university’s recent history.
At the meeting, Morcha coordinators began by apologising for mismanagement during the November 10 event, before updating all participants on the status of talks with the university administration. Representatives were briefed on the continued wait for election dates and the lack of clarity from the authorities.
Speakers at the meeting unanimously criticised what they described as growing privatisation and centralisation of education under the current government. They argued that the Senate issue cannot be separated from the larger impact of the National Education Policy 2020, which, they said, weakens democratic structures in universities. Many participants stressed that Panjab University’s roots lie in Punjab, and that the state has constitutional and legal rights in the governance of the institution.
The organisations also rejected efforts to portray the issue as a Punjab–Haryana dispute. Several Haryana-based groups joined the meeting and expressed complete solidarity, saying the fight was for democratic functioning, not regional dominance.
The Morcha also condemned threats allegedly issued to Advocate Aman of AFDR, who has been active in the protest. It criticized the fact that no FIR has been registered so far.
Meanwhile, sources in the university confirmed that Vice-Chancellor Renu Vij has sent the proposed Senate poll schedule to the President for approval. A committee formed to coordinate between the university and the Morcha is holding regular discussions and has requested time until November 25.