Patchwork protest at PU: Student unity frays over affidavit row
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Chandigarh: A shared cause but scattered protests marked the day at Panjab University on Thursday, as student outfits opposed the new affidavit rule for freshers — which mandates prior permission and designated spots for demonstrations.
Once again, despite the university's repeated claims of restricting outsider involvement, non-students were seen participating in at least two of the three protest sites.
Despite agreeing that the affidavit restricts democratic expression on campus, protests played out in scattered slots, revealing the very divisions that have increasingly come to define student politics at PU. In late-night WhatsApp group discussions, multiple parties initially planned a joint action — only for arguments and familiar turf wars to resurface before sunrise.
At 11 am, a handful of NSUI members, including PUCSC vice-president Archit Garg, some from PSU Lalkaar and few others assembled outside the Administrative Block with placards and slogans. Two hours later, PUCSC president Anurag Dalal arrived with another small group outside the vice-chancellor's office, and also present were some former ABVP members expelled earlier this year, SATH members, PSU Lalkaar and some others.
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ABVP itself had protested earlier in the morning, also outside the VC office — but independently, and later moved to two internal campus roads where they pushed aside traffic barricades and cones installed for a one-way system operational from 9 am to 5 pm.
Outsiders were spotted at the VC office protest by Dalal and in ABVP group who were putting aside barricades — drawing murmurs but no official response.
VC Prof Renu Vig maintained that the focus of the affidavit was procedural rather than punitive, "The affidavit is meant to ensure protests happen in a structured and non-disruptive manner, with prior approval and at notified sites."
Former dean student welfare Prof Jatinder Grover offered a cautionary perspective on affidavit row. "Yes, university work and functioning must not be obstructed. But peaceful protest is a democratic right, especially in academic spaces where ideas must be challenged and tested. To curb that through legal affidavits is a step backwards. Students should be educated and engaged in such a way — with confidence, political awareness, and dialogue — that they don't rush to protest, not scared into silence through paperwork.
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Memorandums were submitted on both fronts: Archit handed over one to the VC, while Dalal submitted demands to DSW Prof Amit Chauhan, who came out to receive them in person.
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