PU’s autonomy, Chandigarh’s status at stake: Former Senators warn of escalating crisis

Former Senators, Syndics, and Deans of Panjab University have issued a stark warning that the Centre’s recent actions on PU and Chandigarh have pushed the campus and the state into a “dangerous, emotionally volatile” phase.

Speaking to The Tribune, senior academics Prof Chaman Lal, Prof HS Mehta, Prof Swaranjit Mehta, and Dr Dayal Pratap Singh Randhawa expressed concern over the October 30 notification, which abruptly abolished PU’s century-old democratic structure, triggering panic, unrest, and mass student mobilisation.

The academics noted that the Centre’s subsequent withdrawals and clarifications have only “deepened mistrust”, as the core grievance – the unexplained delay in announcing the long-pending Senate election schedule – remains unresolved.

They recalled how the first notification dismantled PU’s elected Senate and Syndicate, drawing parallels with the treatment of JNU and Hyderabad Central University, where “saffronisation, centralisation, and suppression of democratic rights” have become the norm.

The academics emphasised that neither the Centre nor the PU administration has made meaningful attempts to de-escalate tensions or engage in structured dialogue with students, even as reports emerged of moves to bring Chandigarh under direct Central control.

Calling the series of actions an attack on PU’s autonomy and Punjab’s historic, legal, and constitutional claim over Chandigarh, they said the Centre has reopened a wound pending since the 1970 Indira Gandhi Agreement and reaffirmed in the 1985 Rajiv-Longowal Accord.

The academics warned that the Centre’s abrupt intervention has derailed serious reform proposals, including wider democratisation, reservation for women in Senate categories, upgrading the graduates’ constituency to postgraduates, and electing Deans from within PU departments.

They demanded two indispensable measures: immediate notification of Senate elections and a clear, unambiguous position on Chandigarh – either transferring the Union Territory to Punjab or publicly announcing a time-bound roadmap for it. Failing this, they said, “the unrest will deepen, and any muscle-flexing by the authorities will only escalate the situation, creating divisions for which the Central Government alone will be responsible.”

The academics have put forth the following demands:

1. Notify the Senate election schedule immediately. An elected Senate is essential to restore normalcy, address academic reforms, and re-establish democratic governance.
2. Clarify Chandigarh’s status; either transfer Chandigarh to Punjab, restoring PU’s pre-1966 state character, or announce a time-bound roadmap for handing it over. Ambiguity has fuelled mistrust and ignited a wider political crisis.
3. No ‘muscle response’ from the Centre or UT; any coercive action will escalate tensions on campus and across Punjab.

WHY PU’S DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURE MATTERS

Panjab University’s governance is anchored in an elected Senate and Syndicate, among the oldest democratic university structures in India, predating even Independence.

Senate elections draw voters from across academic, alumni, faculty and registered graduates. Syndicate — the executive body — is elected by the Senate, not appointed by the Centre.

Chandigarh’s administrative status and PU’s federal character are historically linked. Between 1947 and 1966, PU was a Punjab State University.

Students fear the Centre’s move will lead to the centralisation of control, undermining of academic autonomy, a step towards NEP-driven commercialisation and saffronisation, and weakening of Punjab’s constitutional rights over PU.