Chandigarh, November 15: Protests at Panjab University escalated on Friday as students under the banner of Panjab University Bachao Morcha announced a complete boycott of semester examinations, starting November 18. The announcement came after the three-day ultimatum given by the Morcha for the declaration of the senate election schedule expired.
Student Front leader Raman said, “We will not let any examination take place on campus. We are prepared to go to any extent to ensure conduct of the Senate election schedule.” SOPU leader Avtar Singh added that the administration had “pushed students to the brink,” noting, “For over a year, the university has delayed our legitimate demand. We were left with no choice but to enforce this boycott, because the authorities left us unheard.”
On Friday, a five-member committee set up to mediate with the students held two meetings with the agitators but failed to resolve the deadlock. Committee member Vishal Sharma from the Institute of Forensic Science and Criminology said, “We asked the students to wait till November 25 for the senate election schedule, because disruption of examinations is a serious issue that affects the academic future of thousands.” He added, “We are still hoping for them to retract their call, considering the consequences involved for all the students.”
Nearly 15,000 students on campus could be affected if the Morcha follows through with its boycott call. The protesters, however, did not clarify whether the boycott would extend to PU-affiliated colleges in Chandigarh and other parts of Punjab. Earlier, the Morcha had also hinted at a possible shutdown of the administration block.
