CHANDIGARH, November 11, 2025 – Panjab University (PU) was transformed into a protest battleground yesterday as thousands of students and external supporters demanding immediate Senate elections burst through police barricades, storming the campus and engaging in clashes with security officers.
The mobilisation, led by the Panjab University Bachao Morcha (PUBM), was a decisive show of strength aimed at forcing the university administration and the Central government to commit to a date for the long-awaited elections.
The Breach of Gates
Despite heavy deployment of Chandigarh Police and multiple layers of protection, the massive crowd proved unstoppable. Protesters, including student leaders, farmer union members, and alumni, surged past security at Gate No 1.
The situation quickly escalated into chaos:
- Protesters mounted the main gates.
- They successfully tore down barricades set up by police.
- Reports indicate that some protestors stole police canes, which were used for crowd control.
- In response, a lathi charge was reportedly used by the police to eventually disperse and control the surging crowd.
The chants that echoed across the campus were defiant: “Go Back, Chandigarh Police!” Protesters accused the administration of using police force to stifle a democratic movement and deny students their right to protest.
The Core Demand: An End to Election Delay
The immediate trigger for Monday’s confrontation is the continued stalling of the Senate elections, which have been postponed since the previous Senate’s term expired in October 2024.
The protest intensified following a series of events regarding the university’s governance:
- The October 28 Notification: The Union government attempted to fundamentally restructure PU’s Senate and Syndicate, proposing to drastically reduce the number of elected members and replace them with nominated officials.
- The ‘Half-Hearted’ Rollback: Following immense political and student pressure, the Ministry of Education twice rolled back the controversial order (on November 5 and again on November 7).
- The Continuing Crisis: Student groups, however, deemed the withdrawal “half-hearted.” While the old democratic structure was nominally restored, the university administration has failed to provide a firm schedule for the long-pending elections.
Administration Claims Action, Students Demand Proof
In the lead-up to Monday’s shutdown, university officials made a key announcement: the Senate election schedule had been drafted and sent to the Vice-President of India, the Chancellor, for final approval under the previous 91-member structure.
However, student leaders remained deeply skeptical, choosing to proceed with the protest.
“We want action, not promises,” a student leader stated. Student unions have insisted that their struggle will continue until the official, public declaration of the election schedule is made, fearing that continued silence will only lead to further deliberate delay and political interference. The dramatic storming of the campus gates was clearly designed as a “decisive show of strength” to accelerate the administrative process.
The confrontation at PU is now less about the Centre’s structural reforms and more about a fundamental demand for the restoration of democratic rights and accountability on campus.
