Chandigarh: Police personnel deployed at gates of Panjab University ahead of students protest

Chandigarh [India], November 10 (ANI): Ahead of the massive protest of students in the university campus over their demand for senate elections, police personnel have been deployed at all gates of the Panjab University.
In view of the protests, entry into the university premises is now allowed only with a valid ID card.
The students have been demanding that the university administration announce the long-pending Senate elections to reconstitute the 91-member Senate, the highest governing body of Panjab University.
The row began after the Centre issued a notification to overhaul the Senate's composition, sparking widespread political and academic backlash over the decision to dissolve Panjab University's top governing bodies and replace them with nominated structures through an executive notification issued on October 28.
However, following strong opposition, the Central Government on November 5 withdrew its earlier notification concerning the Senate and Syndicate. Despite the rollback, student groups have continued their agitation, demanding a formal announcement and the conduct of fresh elections at the earliest.
According to the latest Gazette notification (S.O. 5022(E)) issued by the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education, the government has rescinded its previous order (S.O. 4933(E)) dated October 28, 2025.
The withdrawal has been made under the powers conferred by Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.
The earlier notification, which dealt with administrative powers related to Panjab University, had triggered a political and legal controversy, with the Punjab Government terming it "unconstitutional" and announcing its decision to challenge it in court.
The notification, issued by Joint Secretary Rina Sonowal Kouli, clarifies that the earlier order, published in the Gazette of India on October 30, 2025, is now rescinded.
The move is being seen as a significant step by the Centre to defuse tensions surrounding the governance of Panjab University and to address concerns raised by various stakeholders, including the state government and the academic community.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had announced that the state government will move to the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the Centre's notification dissolving the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University, Chandigarh.
In a post on social media platform X, Mann termed the move "unconstitutional" and said that the Punjab government would form a panel of the country's top and specialist lawyers to strongly contest the matter in court. He added that the issue would also be raised in the upcoming session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to ensure that the state's position remains strong at the legislative level.
CM Mann stated that the state government would firmly oppose what he described as "high-handedness" in the university's functioning.
The Chief Minister's reaction had come amid growing political and academic uproar over the Centre's decision to dissolve Panjab University's top governing bodies and replace them with nominated structures through an executive notification issued on October 28.
The notification, which amends the Panjab University Act, 1947, reduces the university's governing Senate from a 91-member body to 24, completely abolishing the graduates' constituency and replacing the elected Syndicate with a largely nominated structure. (ANI)