Five students of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) called off their indefinite hunger strike, demanding justice, accountability and safety for students on the Panjab University (PU) campus, on its third day late Tuesday evening after a meeting with Vice-Chancellor Prof Renu Vig-constituted committee at the DSW Office here. The students were sitting on a hunger strike in front of the DSW Office, pressing the university authorities to accept their demands after the fatal stabbing of Aditya Thakur. Five members of the committee discussed with students' representatives their various demands and issues. It is learnt that the V-C-constituted committee would look after the functioning of the DSW Office, with Prof Nandita Singh of the Department of Education as its Chairperson, and Prof YP Verma, Registrar, Prof Emanual Nahar, Prof. Sanjay Kaushik, and Prof Anil Monga, Advisor, Campus Security. The Chairperson will take charge of the DSW Office and make all the decisions in consultation with the members of the committee till the Internal Inquiry Committee report is approved by the V-C. Financial matters related to the DSW Office will be looked after by the Registrar, PU, Chandigarh, during the inquiry period, and Yogesh Rawal will take the charge as the chief of security while the investigation is going on and SOPs are framed for strengthening the campus security. “This marks a historic victory for student activism at Panjab University. The formation of this new committee is a crucial step toward transforming the DSW Office into a true pillar of student welfare. It's a win for transparency, accountability, and the creation of a safer, more supportive campus for all 16,000 students,” PUCSC vice-president Archit Garg said. “We, the student representatives who were part of the peaceful sit-in held on April 15 in front of the Dean Student Welfare (DSW) Office regarding campus security concerns, welcome the positive decisions taken in response to our demands. We express our sincere gratitude to the VC for acknowledging the seriousness of the matter, promptly constituting a committee, and paving the way for dialogue. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the five members of the committee. Their sensitivity and sense of responsibility in listening to our concerns and making concrete decisions are deeply appreciated. We hope that the university administration will continue to uphold transparency, dialogue, and accountability in the future as well,” Garg added.
