Punjab: DAV principal unhappy over lack of consultation

CHANDIGARH: Ahead of Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections on October 18, DAV College, Sector 10 has witnessed two incidents of violence over the last month—one, a physical scuffle on September 21 and the other a verbal spat on Monday. The college principal has put the onus on lack of coordination between the college administration and PU for such incidents.
Talking to TOI, DAV principal Pawan Sharma said, “Whenever elections are declared, it happens suddenly and we are caught unawares.The PU administration should take our views on the issue too. The academic atmosphere is affected by the process of electioneering. Issues of law and order and interference of outsiders are consequences of this.”
When asked whether PU has ever consulted him in the election process, he said, “I have been a part of this college for four years now and the university has never consulted me about the election process. This creates a very tough situation for us. Suddenly, they announce election dates and there are no rules or regulations in place. We don’t even get the time to prepare for the elections. Simply announcing dates without giving any guidelines doesn’t serve the purpose (of elections). They give no instructions on whether sloganeering and placards will be allowed on campus and how to deal with the academic loss that it leads to.”
He added that the college was supposed to hold the annual PU youth fest from October 18 to 21 but now the fest has been postponed due to elections. “I think the fest is more important as it holds a lot of academic value and is vital in the holistic education of students. The union elections, however, are merely political and hold no academic value,” the principal added.
Saying that the reason animosity increases amongst political parties is lack of proper rules, he added, “There are two reasons why things go out of control sometimes. Lack of proper rules is one part of it. The other part is that Chandigarh is the only place that holds student elections in North India. So the political parties of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have a motive of setting up their cadres in the UT.”
College principal Pawan Sharma underlined the need for consultations with college administrations on the mode of elections. He said, “We should have a say in whether elections are direct or indirect and what should the criteria for candidates be. We suggest a merit-based election process where students who excel in academics and co-curricular activities are chosen as class representatives. This way, we can stop the interference of political parties in student elections. Some students join the college only to contest elections and they have made the campus of Chandigarh political hotbeds. For all these issues, the university must consult principals of deans of students’ welfare of all colleges.”