Panjab University crisis deepens, students set November 25 deadline for notifying poll

The PU Bachao Morcha — backed by over 50 student unions, farmer outfits, social groups and employee bodies — announced that the campus would observe a complete bandh on November 26 if the Chancellor failed to notify the PU Senate election schedule by November 25.

The morcha claimed that the shutdown would be similar to the one observed on November 10 when the university witnessed the largest youth uprising in recent memory. No administrative, academic or other functioning would be allowed on the campus, it said, adding that the next course of action would be announced the same day.

Crisis chronology

Oct 30–Nov 7, 2025: Centre issues four notifications restructuring PU governance

Nov 1: The Tribune breaks overhaul story; agitation begins

Nov 7: Centre withdraws move amid political uproar

Nov 10:University sees largest student ‘uprising’ in recent memory; campus bandh

Nov 1–20: Indefinite dharna on; massive support pours in

Nov 20: Over 50 bodies join meet; bandh call for Nov 26

The Tribune broke the PU overhaul story on November 1, triggering a political firestorm in Punjab and Chandigarh. Though the Centre withdrew its controversial restructuring move within a week, the campus has been on the boil since then. The students have been sitting on a dharna outside the VC office.

At a meeting attended by over 50 organisations on Thursday, the Morcha maintained that the fight must now spread to all PU-affiliated colleges across Punjab, asserting that PU “belongs to Punjab” and that “the assault on the Senate is an attack on Punjab’s rights and the university’s democratic structure”.

Participants said the Centre’s now-withdrawn move to reconstitute PU’s governing bodies must be seen in the larger context of the National Education Policy 2020, which they argued was accelerating privatisation, centralisation and saffronisation of public universities.

The gathering also condemned the alleged attempt to “divert the issue by projecting it as a Punjab versus Haryana dispute”. Representatives from several Haryana organisations expressed solidarity, asserting that the ongoing fight was a democratic struggle, not a regional confrontation.

The morcha said the PU authorities had repeatedly asked them to “wait till November 25”, promising that the Senate election schedule would be announced by then. “If the notification is not issued by November 25, PU will be shut down completely on November 26. After that, we will decide the next steps,” it said.