A protest is sweeping across Panjab University (PU) over a hostel admission affidavit issued by the university, requiring students to pledge that they will not participate in any protest or dharna on campus without prior approval from the university authorities.
This clause was reportedly introduced against the backdrop of frequent student demonstrations over fee hikes, administrative decisions, and other student grievances in recent years.
The move, which many see as despotic and unfair, has left the students up in arms and winning attention from all over – with the recent involvement of the Punjab High Court, and political leaders including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Members of Parliament (MPs) Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Malwinder Kang.
The affidavit requires the newly admitted students to:
(a) seek prior permission from authorities to organise any protest, limited to a designated area near the health centre/police chowki/dispensary
(b) avoid protests in residential areas or other parts of campus
(c) not invite outsiders to participate in demonstrations
(d) not block roads or creating noise beyond permissible limits
(e) avoid any damage or defacement of university property
(f) carry valid ID at all times and use only registered vehicles, and
(g) not carry any weapons or harmful items.
“Violations can lead to severe penalties, including being barred from exams, cancellation of admission, campus entry bans, and ineligibility to contest elections,” reads the affidavit.
Sandeep Kumar, President of Students For Society (SFS), PU, called the affidavit “undemocratic and dictatorial”, arguing that it directly attacks the right to free speech and expression.
“If a girl student on campus is attacked, how are students expected to respond? Should we first inform the administration and then protest?” he questioned. He said the clause limits the ability of students to raise their voice against injustice, especially at a time when fee hikes are rising and education is being treated like a private business, he said speaking to Edex Live.
The university has also designated a protest zone away from the Vice-Chancellor’s (VC) office; at a space located close to a hospital, which he remarked was a deliberate move to silence student protests. Student groups see this move as an attack on campus dissent.
Sandeep also flagged that the proposed protest site has not been approved by the Senate, which is the highest decision-making body of the university. He pointed out that elections to the 91-member Senate have not been held for over a year, despite continued protests by student groups. “Panjab University has a glorious legacy of democratic functioning, and this is an attempt to undermine it,” he said.
Calling the move an effort to “invade, militarise, and barricade” the university’s democratic spaces, Sandeep demanded a full withdrawal of the affidavit.
Aditya Takiar, National Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) from Chandigarh, also condemned the university’s affidavit, calling it a blatant attempt to suppress student voices. “It’s now compulsory for students to sign this affidavit, which is unacceptable,” he told EdexLive. He added that, in response, ABVP has decided to submit a counter-affidavit holding the VC accountable for ongoing issues on campus.
A research scholar and former presidential candidate, Divyansh Thakur, on Tuesday, June 24, led a group of students in distributing toilet paper rolls bearing copies of the contentious affidavit that first-year PU students were now required to sign. The rolls were put in the hostel and department washrooms.
Takiar added that all student organisations, despite ideological differences, have united in opposing this arbitrary move.
“Slogans like ‘taanashahi nahi chalegi’ (Dictatorship will not work) are echoing across campus,” he said, referring to the growing dissent. He also criticised the barricading of the university, which he said is hindering free movement and transportation. Students are now demanding that these barriers be removed immediately.
