PATIALA: The inquiry panel constituted by the
Punjabi University over two weeks ago to probe into the
clash between two student bodies, which the members of Democratic Student Organisation (
DSO) alleged was an attack engineered by the university authorities, is yet to begin the probe.
The probe failed to start as the university had not invited the members of the inquiry commission and submitted the CCTV footage and other necessary information to further initiate the proceedings of the probe.
After the protesting students of DSO were allegedly attacked by the members of
SAP (Student Association of Punjab) during the intervening night of September 18 and 19 this year, the students had alleged that the attack was engineered by the university authorities itself with a motive to snub the protest. The protesting students are demanding for round-theclock hostel entry for girls. They were attacked on the night of September 18 at 11.55pm allegedly by SAP students. The police however registered the case against 13 protesting DSO members, but no case was registered on the complaint of DSO members.
Three days after the attack, the authorities of Punjabi University had announced to set up an inquiry commission for an independent probe into the matter. The university then seized the CCTV camera footage of the entry gates and the cameras installed near the protest site – VC office.
The panel of three members including its head professor, former vice-chancellor (V-C) of Maharana Partap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, SS Chahal, and its two members including the former director general of police Rajasthan Amarjit Singh Gill, and former IAS officer and ex-secretary to the Punjab government Jagjit Singh Puri were appointed to conduct an independent probe into the matter.
Registrar Manjit Singh Nijjar, said, “In order to ensure free and fair inquiry into the matter we appointed outsiders as the members of the panel, and they do not have any link with the Punjabi University. The panel is requested to submit the inquiry report within three months. After the protest of students comes to an end, we will invite the panel members and submit the documents and necessary information so that the probe could be conducted. We have no role to play in the violence and we condemn it. We fear if the panel reaches the university, they would be harmed by the protesting students.”
Notably, the protesting students in front of VC office on Tuesday again faced an attack by a group of students. However, the university has now decided to ask the same inquiry panel to look into the recent clash of October 9.