PU stir swells, protesters break barricades

What appeared to be the beginning of a sustained Gen Z movement unfolded at Panjab University (PU) on Monday as thousands of students and supporters, defying unprecedented security lockdown, sealed borders, barricaded streets and repeated administrative appeals, converted the campus into the epicentre of one of the largest youth-led agitations in its history.

After today’s massive and unprecedented show of strength, the protesters unanimously resolved to continue their indefinite dharna until the Senate election schedule is formally notified under the pre-October 30 structure, rejecting the Centre’s recent rollback.

The agitation has been snowballing since The Tribune broke the PU overhaul story on November 1, triggering a fierce political firestorm across Punjab and Chandigarh and uniting all anti-BJP forces. The Centre, rattled by the backlash, issued a record four notifications within a week, eventually retracting the controversial October 30 restructuring order on November 7. But the rollback failed to pacify the students who refused to lift their indefinite protest and instead mobilised today’s mega rally.

Even the fact that Vice-Chancellor Prof Renu Vig on Sunday formally initiated the Senate election process by sending the draft election schedule to Vice-President of India and Chancellor CP Radhakrishnan did little to calm tempers. Students termed it “too little, too late”, insisting that only a formally issued notification by the Centre would end their dharna.

All attempts by the Chandigarh Police and the PU Administration to pre-empt or shrink the rally spectacularly backfired. Since Sunday night, the PU had been virtually turned into a fortress — barricaded gates, narrowing access to a single partially open entry, and sealing of all major inter-state borders from Mohali and Zirakpur. The move choked the entry points to the city, leaving kilometre-long snarls, stranded ambulances and exhausted commuters. The public fury mounted as residents compared the situation to an “undeclared emergency and curfew”.

Police officials defended the clampdown as necessary to maintain law and order and prevent “outsiders” from turning the protest unruly. However, their argument collapsed by midday.

The moment that tipped the scales came when farmers led by SKM veteran Balbir Singh Rajewal smashed through the barricades at Phase 6, Mohali, and marched to the campus, raising slogans against the Centre’s “attack on Punjab’s autonomy”. Thousands followed — students, farmer unions, Nihang groups, religious and social activists, and political leaders across the spectrum, barring the BJP.

By afternoon, multiple groups had breached Gates No. 1 and 2, ignoring repeated police orders and overwhelming the security presence. SSP Kanwardeep Kaur and IGP Pushpendra Kumar tried engaging with the crowd — even climbing the gates — but were ultimately forced out after tension escalated. The police even resorted to a mild lathicharge to control the situation.

What followed was a spectacular takeover of the campus. Tractors, trolleys, pickup vans, loudspeakers and langar vehicles streamed into the PU. Protesters set up a stage outside the VC office, turning the lawns into a 2020-style farmers’ movement replica. Representatives from over 50 student bodies and political groups addressed the gathering, vowing to “revive democracy” at the PU.

Senior leaders from AAP, the Congress, the SAD, BKU factions and social activists thronged the campus in solidarity. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the Centre of harbouring “hatred for Punjabis”. Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO condemned the “direct assault on federalism”. Congress leaders Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Singh Bajwa, Pargat Singh and former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal slammed the “brutal” police lathicharge and the sealing of Punjab’s borders.

The only political outlier remained the BJP-affiliated ABVP — the current PUCSC leadership — which backed the Centre’s initial overhaul plan.

Former BJP MP and 11-time Senator Satya Pal Jain, who is also the Additional Solicitor General of India, met Vice-President Radhakrishnan in New Delhi this afternoon and apprised him of the evolving situation at the PU.

Support videos also poured in from Punjabi diaspora organisations in Canada, Australia and elsewhere, describing the restructuring attempt as an “attack on Punjab’s sovereignty”.

Inside the PU, chaos continued through the day — students denied entry, hostellers stranded, classes suspended, emergency movement restricted and tension rising between Punjab and Haryana-affiliated student bodies, who later submitted representations staking their claims to the governance structure.

Yet, by late evening — after hours of clashes, detentions and failed police resistance — the protesters had achieved total control of the space. They announced they would stay put till the Centre notifies the Senate election schedule.

The university will remain closed on November 11.

(With inputs from Deepankar Sharda & Sheetal)

 Why it snowballed

Students and political parties saw the restructuring as a direct attack on Punjab’s autonomy

Clampdown, barricading, sealed borders and denial of campus entry acted as an aggravating trigger, not deterrent

Farmer unions, Nihang groups and pan-Punjab organisations joined in, converting the agitation into a broader civil-society uprising

Way forward

Formal Senate election notification under the pre-October 30 structure is the protesters’ non-negotiable demand

Administration faces mounting pressure to restore democratic functioning and defuse tensions

Political involvement — barring the BJP — means the issue is likely to intensify across Punjab

What it means

A dramatic assertion of Gen Z political agency in Punjab

A rare moment of unity across student groups, farmers, Panthic organisations and opposition parties

PU has turned into the nerve centre of a fresh autonomy-rights confrontation between the Centre and Punjab