The Panjab University (PU) campus in Chandigarh witnessed heightened tension on November 10, 2025, after Chandigarh Police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse students and members of several organisations demanding the long-delayed senate elections. The protests, which have been intensifying for months, centre on concerns over the university’s autonomy, the stalled electoral process, and the Centre’s earlier move to restructure PU’s governance bodies into nominated ones. Even though the Centre withdrew its restructuring notification, agitation at the university has only grown, driven by the belief that the rollback is insufficient without a concrete election schedule.

How the Protest Unfolded

A shutdown call for November 10 brought hundreds of students and activists to PU’s gates early in the day. The protestors attempted to push past police barricades, prompting Chandigarh UT Police to use lathis to disperse the crowd. Videos circulating from the scene showed heated exchanges and forceful dispersal as demonstrators insisted on marching inside the university to demand immediate action on elections.

For protestors, this confrontation symbolised months of mounting frustration. Despite repeated representations and assurances from administrative officials, the election schedule—pending since the senate’s term expired on October 31, 2024—has not been issued by the office of the Chancellor, who is the Vice-President of India. In this context, the lathicharge reinforced concerns about administrative indifference and lack of responsiveness to democratic demands from key stakeholders of the university.

Why PU Is Seeing Persistent Protests

At the heart of the agitation is the demand to preserve and restore democratic governance within Panjab University. The senate and syndicate are the university’s apex decision-making bodies, historically elected through a detailed and extensive process. This structure is regarded as central to PU’s identity, autonomy, and functioning, given its unique blend of state and central government oversight and funding.

In September 2025, when the Centre issued a notification restructuring the university governance model—converting the senate from an elected to a nominated body—students, faculty associations, alumni groups, and various socio-political organisations unified in opposition. The notification was widely perceived as an encroachment on institutional autonomy and a move that would erode the university’s rich legacy of participatory governance. Many in Punjab interpreted it as undermining the federal balance between the state and the Centre, particularly because the university holds cultural, historical, and emotional significance for the people of Punjab.

Despite the Centre rescinding the notification on November 8 after widespread resistance, the protests continued. Groups under the Panjab University Bachao Morcha banner asserted that the rollback meant little without an actual schedule for senate elections. According to them, the administrative delay has effectively suspended the university’s democratic machinery for more than a year.

Former Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) president Archit Garg summarised the sentiment: “The rollback means little without senate elections. The movement is about restoring democracy on campus.” PUCSC general secretary Abhishek Daggar reinforced this: “As long as there’s no clear timeline for elections, our protest will go on.”

The Delayed Election Schedule: A Year of Uncertainty

The PU senate’s term ended on October 31, 2024, after which the university administration repeatedly awaited the Chancellor’s approval to announce elections. Over the past year, the administration sent a draft election schedule four times to the Vice-President’s office. Each submission received no response, resulting in unprecedented administrative ambiguity.

This delay has created a governance vacuum at the university, affecting appointments, decisions on academic policy, oversight of finances, and several long-term planning processes. Many stakeholders argue that without elections, accountability and transparency within the institution have weakened. Students and faculty feel that the lack of elected representatives leaves them without an effective voice in university matters.

The delay also allowed speculation over the Centre’s intentions to take deeper administrative control over PU. Even with the restructuring plan withdrawn, apprehension persists that administrative inertia may be strategic rather than circumstantial.

Broad Political and Social Support for the Movement

The PU protest has drawn wide attention across Punjab’s political spectrum. Leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and its breakaway factions have visited the protest site to express solidarity. The issue has become emblematic of larger political debates around autonomy, federalism, and the Centre-state relationship in education governance.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of AAP described the Centre’s restructuring attempt as an effort to wrest control of Punjab’s premier public university. SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal called for “protecting the sanctity of Panjab University” and criticised the Centre for mishandling the reforms. Leaders such as Harjinder Singh Dhami of SGPC, Giani Harpreet Singh, MLA Pargat Singh, former MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra, and former Youth Congress president Brinder Singh Dhillon also visited, signalling cross-party recognition of the issue’s significance.

For many leaders, the protests represent more than a local administrative dispute; they symbolise a struggle to preserve the democratic foundations and distinctive character of one of India’s oldest universities.

University Administration’s Response

Ahead of the November 10 shutdown call, Dean, Student Welfare (DSW) Amit Chauhan met with leaders of multiple student organisations to discuss concerns and potential plans for the protest. The meeting included every major student group except the ABVP, which is affiliated with the RSS-BJP. Chauhan urged students to ensure that campus property remained safe during the demonstrations and assured them that their grievances were being communicated to authorities.

However, these assurances have done little to quell frustration. Students argue that the administration’s repeated appeals for patience ring hollow when no tangible progress has been seen for over a year. They insist that unless the Chancellor’s office releases the schedule, they will continue mobilising.

What Lies Ahead

The confrontation on November 10 marks an escalation that may compel swifter administrative action. Yet, the future remains uncertain. If the Chancellor’s office continues to withhold a decision, protests are likely to intensify, drawing even more political scrutiny and public attention. Conversely, if an election schedule is issued soon, it may de-escalate the situation, though questions about administrative delays and past intentions will remain.

For Panjab University, the current crisis reflects broader national tensions regarding institutional autonomy and federal governance in higher education. For the students and faculty on the ground, however, it is a fight for representation, continuity, and the ability to have a say in the institution that shapes their academic and professional lives.

Until clarity emerges, the campus is likely to remain a site of mobilisation, debate, and continued confrontation over the contested future of its democratic structures.