What Is Happening to Panjab University Is Not Fair — The Truth Everyone Should Know
Something very serious has happened to Panjab University, and if you care about education, democracy, and Punjab’s pride — you need to know this.
Recently, the Central Government changed how the university will be managed.
They issued a notification that completely restructured the university’s Senate — the main body that makes all important decisions.
And that one decision has shaken students, professors, and the entire state.
Before this move, the Panjab University Senate had about 90 members — professors, graduates, and elected representatives who had a voice in every decision.
Now, the government has cut it down to only 31 members.
And here’s the real problem — Most of them are not elected.
They are appointed by the Centre.
Even the Graduate Constituency — where PU graduates could vote and choose their representatives — has been removed. This means that the people who live, study, and work in this university no longer have the same right to decide what happens there.
The Punjab Government has called this move “political vandalism.”
Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said it’s a direct attack on Punjab’s pride, on the university’s autonomy, and on the democratic values it has followed since independence. And he’s absolutely right.
Because Panjab University was never just a college — it was a symbol of freedom in education.
Panjab University isn’t only about classrooms and degrees — it’s about ideas, debates, and independent thinking. By changing its structure, the government isn’t just changing a rule.
It’s changing how decisions are made, who gets to speak, and whose opinions matter.
Now, officials from outside — like the MP of Chandigarh and UT bureaucrats — will sit in the Senate, while professors and elected members are pushed aside.
This Is About Control, Not Reform
They’re calling it “restructuring.”
But let’s be honest — it’s control, not reform.
If this was about improving efficiency, there would have been discussions, consultations, and transparency.
Instead, it was done quietly, through an official order, without involving the people who actually run the university.
That’s not democracy — that’s dominance.
A Threat to Academic Freedom
Every great university stands on three pillars: knowledge, representation, and freedom.
By removing elected members, you remove representation.
When you silence representation, you eventually silence freedom.
And if academic institutions lose their freedom, what kind of education will they give?
We Can’t Stay Silent
This issue deserves every teacher’s, every student’s, and every citizen’s attention.
Because if one university can lose its autonomy this easily, others can too.
Panjab University has produced some of the brightest minds in the country — scientists, writers, leaders, artists.
It deserves respect, not control.
The people of Punjab should have a say in what happens to their university.
This is not just an education issue — it’s an identity issue.
The government may have issued a notification, but the real power still lies in people’s awareness.
We can’t let the history, culture, and autonomy of Panjab University fade away under political pressure.
Let’s speak up — peacefully, powerfully, and proudly.
Because Panjab University belongs to Punjab — not to politics.
