Students Call Off 96-Day Protest at Panjab University After Administration Agrees to Major Demands

Chandigarh: The 96-day long protest by students at Panjab University (PU) ended on Wednesday as the Panjab University Bachao Morcha, spearheaded mainly by student outfit SATH, withdrew from the protest site outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office. The decision came after the university administration agreed to three major demands of the protesters.

The sit-in began on October 18, 2024. It initially had the support of several student bodies that were demanding reforms and Senate elections. However, with time, most organisations began to distance themselves from the movement, leaving SATH to continue carrying it forward.

These were concessions from the administration: Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains or two state government nominees being included in talks on Senate reforms, a slashing of the pre-PhD coursework fee from ₹10,000 to ₹6,000, and a beginning to withdrawing FIRs filed against 14 students who were part of the protest.

The university said it would write to the Punjab Education Minister to ensure state representation in Senate reform talks. Protesters had always maintained that, as the successor state of the university, Punjab should have a large stake in determining its governance.

Pre-PhD course fees was also an issue as the administration decided to cut that down to ₹6,000. That has been a long-pending demand from various student organizations. When the protesters pushed for the same amount of postgraduate examination fees of ₹3,000, they appreciated that at least they had gotten the concession.

The legal issues regarding the protest have also been addressed by the university. Authorities decided to seek the withdrawal of FIRs filed against 14 students, with a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) beginning this process.

The SATH leaders described the agreement as a success for the students and thanked everyone who had resisted until the very end. “This is a victory for every student who believed in our cause and refused to give up,” declared a representative of SATH.

However, other student leaders noted that the waning participation in the movement left SATH as the only organization actively involved towards the end. “The momentum dwindled greatly as weeks turned into months. This result, though positive, indicates the perseverance of one organization rather than a united student front,” said a student leader from another organization.

This resolution ends one of the longest student protests in the history of Panjab University. As SATH celebrates perseverance, the result also speaks of the difficulty in sustaining collective action over time. With the administration now turning towards the concerns raised by the students, it would be interesting to see the promises turn into actions and how Punjab figures in the university’s governance going forward.