PAU students stage protest, want posts filled

Hundreds of students from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) staged a protest today under the banner of the Agriculture Student Association, Punjab, demanding immediate recruitment against long-pending vacant posts in the Agriculture Department of the university.

The protest march began from the university library and culminated near Thapar Hall, drawing attention to what students called “years of administrative neglect”.

The students — pursuing BSc, MSc and PhD degrees — raised slogans against the Punjab Government, citing that nearly 70% of sanctioned posts in the departments such as Agriculture Development Officer (ADO), Agriculture Sub-Inspector (ASI), Soil Conservation and Horticulture, Mandi Board, Markfed and Punjab Seeds Corporation (Punseed) remain vacant.

“We’ve submitted memorandums to the Chief Minister, Agriculture Minister and several Cabinet officials dozens of times,” said Harman Maan, a PhD scholar. “But all we’ve received are hollow assurances. We’re being pushed toward unemployment despite being professionally qualified.”

The students claimed that they had met Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian 17 times over the past year, but no concrete decision had been taken. “Every meeting ends with vague promises. There’s no accountability,” said Sunil, also a PhD scholar. “We’re not asking for favours, but only asking for the jobs we’ve earned.”

Manpreet, an MSc student, added that, “What is the point of studying so hard if there are no jobs for us? We’re forced to protest because the system has failed us.”

The association announced that if their demands are not met, they will begin an indefinite protest from September 8. They warned that any disruption or damage during the dharna would be the direct responsibility of the Punjab Government.