Punjab Vidhan Sabha minorities committee visits GNDU in Amritsar

Amritsar, February 12

Four members of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Welfare Committee for Minorities, SC/ST/OBC, comprising Saravjit Kaur Manuke, chairperson, Amrit Rattan Kotfatta, Jasbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Nachhatar Pal, visited Guru Nanak Dev University after an old viral news recently circulated on social media regarding a separate section of reserve category students in the University Business School. Refuting the news as false and unverified, GNDU authorities including VC Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Registrar KS Kahlon and other officials discussed the facts of the matter with Manuke.

The committee members recommended that FIR be filed with the Police Commissionerate (Cyber Crime Cell) to investigate the issue as it causes defamation to Guru Nanak Dev University. A special meeting was organised in the office of the VC after which the delegates met with students at the University Business School. Dr Pavleen Soni, head, University Business School, and Dr Vikram Sandhu, Nodal Officer, told the committee members that the news item that went viral recently is baseless and misleading. They said there has been no separate section of students in reserve category in any class since the inception of the department.

The university has been successfully offering several schemes launched by Centre and state governments for the welfare of SC/ST/OBC students admitted. These included Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students, availability of grievance handling cell for SC/ST and a nodal officer deputed by the university for SC/ST category to avoid any possible discrimination. The old news report that went viral was malicious and unverified, the nodal officer was reported to have told the committee members.

MLA Saravjit Kaur Manuke also interacted with the students and expressed their satisfaction.