Ludhiana: PAU students’ meeting with CM postponed again
The protesting students were promised the meeting after they were asked to call off their sit-in protest on the campus on the eve of the Vice President’s visit
After agitated students at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) were given assurance by the district administration to arrange a panel meeting with Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann and concerned authorities on November 26, the state government has once again put off the panel meeting with the CM.
The protesting students were promised the meeting after they were asked to call off their sit-in protest on the campus on the eve of the Vice President’s supposed visit. The students had been sitting on a protest at Gate Number 1 of the campus to demand the reinstatement of the teacher cadre for agriculture and making the subject mandatory in schools.
On the evening of November 11, the district administration had promised the students a panel meeting with the CM, education and agricultures ministers, and the top officials of these departments on November 20. Vice President of India Jaideep Dhankhar was supposed to inaugurate an international conference at the auditorium right across the road from where the students had been protesting. The students suspended the protest following a notification from the deputy commissioner regarding the panel meeting, calling it a victory.
However, on November 18, the panel meeting was moved to November 26. Now it has been put off again to December 17.
On November 21, speaking during the conclusion of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) inter-college youth festival, administrative reforms and NRI affairs minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal assured the government’s full support in the issue though.
The postponement of the meeting has been met with strong outrage by the students.
Angrej Mann, one of the students leading the protest, said they feel betrayed by the administration. “We feel betrayed. They lied to us and got our protest called off. Now we are getting new dates every time a day before we think we’ll get our chance to put forth our demands.”
The students are planning to stage a protesting during Mann’s visit to the university for the Punjab state inter-university youth festival on November 29. The students are in discussions with like-minded outfits to plan restarting their sit-in protest.
