Campus ban dims, ABVP lists 3 ‘star nights’ in a row

Chandigarh: One year after PU banned cultural fests after the murder of student Aditya Thakur during a fest being organised on campus, the ban is being brazenly flouted. Both lessons and SOPs declared last year were nowhere in the picture when Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) president announced three star nights on the main campus, featuring former Union minister Anurag Thakur, Haryana minister Vipul Goel and Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini as chief guests. There will even be performances by regional singers on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.Posters shared by ABVP officials for the PUCSC cultural programme "Jhankaar" show that a Himachali star night featuring singer Kuldeep Sharma is scheduled for Monday with Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur as chief guest. Tuesday is slated for a Haryanvi star night and DJ programme with Haryana minister Vipul Goel as chief guest. The final day, Wednesday, features a Punjabi star night with Sufi singer Satinder Sartaaj and lists Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini as chief guest.The events are proposed to be held at the UBS ground on the university campus. and Preparations are on at full swing. The announcement comes despite the university drafting standard operating procedures (SOPs) for campus festivals that include banning star nights and tightening financial oversight following last year's incidents.Sohal said the council had obtained most approvals for the event. "We have got permission from Panjab University for the venue at UBS ground. Permissions from the administration have also been taken. Only the permission for the March 18 star night is awaited, which should be with us on Monday as today was a holiday," he said.However, vice-chancellor Prof Renu Vig said the proposal for the March 18 programme had not yet been sent to the administration. "The DSW office has not forwarded the case to the administration for the March 18 event," she said.Despite repeated attempts, the DSW office did not respond to queries regarding permissions or financial approvals for the programme.Posters for the event also list a large number of private sponsors and partners. Panjab University had introduced provisions for financial oversight of student festivals, stating in SOPs that all external sponsorships must be routed through and scrutinised by the DSW office to ensure transparency and compliance with university rules. The move came after concerns were raised that large-scale concerts and celebrity performances were being organised through private sponsorships, far exceeding the university's allocated budget of around Rs 22 lakh for student council activities. However, sponsorship-heavy posters for the current programme raise questions over whether the mandated financial oversight mechanism through the DSW office is being followed.Aditya Thakur was stabbed to death during a campus fest, an incident that triggered protests over security, fest spending and permissions for star nights. In response, Panjab University drafted SOPs banning such concerts and mandating strict financial scrutiny of external sponsorships through the DSW office. The announcement of multiple star nights for the PUCSC programme, along with extensive sponsor listings and the absence of clarity from the DSW office on permissions and financial oversight, has once again brought the implementation of those safeguards into focus.BOX- When ABVP questioned star nightsLast year, protests erupted on the Panjab University campus after Aditya Thakur died of stab injuries sustained during a campus fest. Activists affiliated with ABVP staged demonstrations questioning how large-scale star nights and fest activities had been permitted despite security concerns. During the protests, the DSW office was vandalised and the university's security chief was manhandled.