Panjab University Protest: Why Has Dissolution of Senate Sparked a Massive Row?
The Centre's move is being seen as another 'attack on Punjab.
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"We will not let RSS control our Panjab University,” Navpreet Ganga said to protesting Panjab University students on Sunday in the middle of the night, his left hand resting on his crutch, which he uses for support in walking due to a left leg polio disability.
Ganga, State Chairman of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), was addressing students after Chandigarh Police had come to detain Panjab University Students’ Council General Secretary Abhishek Dagar, who was sitting on an indefinite fast against the mandatory affidavit requirement imposed by Panjab University.
Panjab University was witnessing two parallel protests against the affidavit led by two different student groups. SOPU, with support of Student Front (SF), had started a protest against the affidavit, while the Department for Political Science students, with help from nearly half a dozen student organisations, had also begun a separate protest. Students are vocal against the mandatory affidavit which would make it compulsory to seek permission before protests, get lists of speakers vetted, and follow strict sound limits.
SOPU and SF began their protests on the 29 and 30 of October respectively. However, the protests intensified after the 1 November, The Tribune published an exclusive story claiming the dissolution of PU’s Senate and Syndicate — partially democratically elected bodies that played a key role in running the university. Many Punjabis saw this as 'another attack on Punjab', especially because the news came on 1 November, the day when modern Punjab was carved out in 1966.
When Panjab University students started their protests, they were not aware that the Modi government had already dissolved the Senate. On 28 October 2025, the Centre issued a notification to dissolve both the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University, sparking a political storm in Punjab.
As students were already protesting the affidavit, the 1 November news further fueled public anger.
Rules Governing Panjab University
Panjab University was established in 1882 in Lahore. It later moved to Hoshiarpur, then Shimla, and finally settled in Chandigarh, the new capital of Punjab. The Senate and Syndicate of the university were created under the Panjab University Act, 1947, which laid down the provisions for elections and governance rules.
The Senate, a 91-member governing body, makes key administrative decisions. It comprises ex-officio members (such as the Vice-Chancellor and Deans), elected members (professors, principals, teachers, graduates, and alumni). Each Senate was elected for a period of four years, after which fresh elections were held. The Syndicate was then elected from among Senate members for a one-year term.
What has changed now?
With the new notification, the Centre has abolished the graduate constituency and reduced the Senate’s strength from 91 to 24 members, all of whom will now be nominated instead of elected.
Why Are Students Protesting?
Student bodies claim that this move will abolish the democratic structure of Panjab University and represents an attempt at centralisation, aligning with the agenda of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
According to the NEP, every higher education institution should be governed by a Board of Governors, which will be the highest decision-making body. Protesters argue that such boards will primarily consist of nominated members, serving political interests, leading to the saffronisation of education and the end of one of India’s most democratic university system.
Legal Concerns
The Panjab University Act (1947) states that any changes to the university’s governance structure must be approved by Parliament. However, the Centre appears to have bypassed this through Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, which empowers it to modify or apply laws related to interstate bodies.
This centralisation move is also being viewed in the larger context of Punjab’s ongoing struggle for autonomy and resources after Partition. Recently, the state suffered one of the most devastating floods since 1988, during which the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) faced criticism for its failure to manage water levels effectively. The Centre’s decision to restructure the BBMB by including more members from Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan—thereby reducing Punjab’s representation—has further fueled resentment.
Anti-Affidavit Protest to PU Bachao Morcha
On 4 November, Panjab University students forcibly shut down the administrative wing of the university, with staff leaving the building in the middle of the working day. On the same day, Panjab University’s ABVP President, Gaurav Veer Sohal, met Ministry of Education officials in Delhi and claimed that the ministry had taken back the anti-affidavit notification.
That evening, PU students forcibly entered the Vice-Chancellor's office and got authorities to sign documents declaring the withdrawal of the affidavit.
After the withdrawal of the affidavit, all student parties united under the banner of the Panjab University Bachao Morcha, calling upon all Kisan unions and Punjab intellectuals to gather at Panjab University on 10th November to “save Panjab University.”
Political Reactions
The Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, called the move unconstitutional and stated that the government is seeking legal advice to challenge it.
Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi also condemned the notification, calling it a direct attack on Punjab by the BJP, while addressing the students at the Panjab University Morcha.
On November 4, ABVP president Gauravveer Sohal posted a video on Instagram claiming that the notification had been withdrawn after their meeting with ministers in Delhi. The video, captioned “Mithi Dhun Rabab Di, Panjab University Panjab Di,” asserted that the university “will belong only to Punjab.”
However, shortly after, the Centre issued another notification, reiterating the same guidelines and further reducing the Senate’s size from 31 to 24 members, merely changing the implementation timeline—contradicting Sohal’s claim.
Protests and Disaffection in Punjab
Student organisations allege that this was a deliberate attempt by the Centre to create confusion before the planned protest on 10th November. Several Punjab-based media outlets also incorrectly reported that the notification had been withdrawn. Student leaders reaffirmed that the 10th November call for protest stands, urging farmers’ unions and political parties to join in defense of the Senate’s democratic structure.
Many Punjabis believe the Centre is deliberately targeting Punjab, citing the farm laws, flood mismanagement, and now the Senate dissolution as examples. The tension between the state and the Centre has deepened since the farmers’ protest, with this latest move being viewed as yet another attack on Punjab’s autonomy. Many Punjabis see Panjab University as part of Punjab’s heritage in Chandigarh, which is the state’s capital but whose control has not been transferred to Punjab.
Prominent figures such as director and activist Amitoz Mann, gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana, singer Babbu Mann, Punjabi singer Jasbir Jassi, and farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal have visited the protest site in solidarity. Former MP Simranjit Singh Mann and Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa have also extended their support. Punjab AAP MPs Malwinder Kang and Meet Hayer have also visited the protest.
What Lies Ahead?
Student bodies have vowed to continue their protests, calling the move an attempt at the saffronisation of education and an attack on India’s federal structure. They argue that this could pave the way for privatizing public universities, fulfilling the NEP 2020 agenda.
Ramanpreet Singh, a leader of the Panjab University Bachao Morcha, told The Quint: “The Modi government is pursuing its centralisation agenda to control every sphere of India, from political centralisation, fiscal centralisation, to institutional centralisation. With Article 370, they did political centralisation. With GST, Modi did fiscal centralisation. Now, with the BBMB amendment and the dissolving of Panjab University’s Senate and Syndicate, it is pursuing its agenda of institutional centralisation.” Singh added that students will not back down until the older structure of Panjab University’s Senate and Syndicate is restored.