Punjab: Deadlock continues, Law University students continue to protest

Punjab: Students of Rajiv Gandhi National Law University (RGNUL) continued their protest for the seventh consecutive day demanding the removal of Vice Chancellor Professor Jai Shankar Singh. The students accused him of making inappropriate comments about their attire and entering the girls’ hostel without notice. Classes resumed at the university on Friday, but attendance remained thin. Many students announced on social media that they have boycotted classes. Student attendance at the protest site remained thin on Saturday as well. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann spoke to the agitating students on Friday and assured them that the state government is committed to providing justice to them. During a telephonic conversation with the students, the CM said the state government is committed to protecting their interests in every way.

Mann said students are the future of the country and they will not be allowed to be harassed for any reason. He said arbitrariness of any person or official will not be tolerated and students will be provided justice. Expressing solidarity with the agitating students, the CM said the state government is with them in this hour of crisis. He said the government was keeping a close watch on the developments on the university campus. The protests, which began on September 22, have attracted widespread attention, with several public figures, including Punjab Women Commission chairperson Raj Lali Gill and Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, expressing their support for the students. The protesters expressed gratitude to Gill for his efforts in demanding the removal of the vice-chancellor. Former Punjab Agricultural University vice-chancellor Kripal Singh Aulakh also criticised Professor Jai Shankar Singh’s actions and demanded his removal.