Any change in Panjab University character not be tolerated: Punjab CM
Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Jun, 2023 10:23 AM
Chandigarh, June 1 (IANS) Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to avert any change in the nature and character of Panjab University in Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said the university is heritage of the state and any sort of change in it will not be tolerated.
The Chief Minister, who participated in a meeting with the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh Banwari Lal Purohit and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here, said the Punjab government is committed to safeguard the rights of the state and its people.
Mann, who firmly placed on record the facts pertaining to the university, said this premier educational institute has an emotional place in the hearts of the people of Punjab on account of historical, cultural and provincial reasons.
He said Panjab University is a symbol of Punjab's legacy and is synonymous with the name of the state.
The Chief Minister said the university caters only to Punjab and its capital Chandigarh. Citing the history of the university, its constitution, its ethnic, socio-cultural and historical roots as well as its faculty and students who hail primarily from Punjab.
Mann said it is important that the present legal and administrative status of Panjab University should be preserved. He reminded that at the time of the reorganization of the state of Punjab in 1966, Panjab University was declared as an 'Inter State Body Corporate' under section 72(1) of the Punjab Reorganization Act of 1966 enacted by the Parliament.
The Chief Minister said ever since its inception, Panjab University has been continuously and uninterruptedly functioning in Punjab. Mann recalled that it was shifted from Lahore, the then capital of Punjab, to Hoshiarpur and then to Chandigarh the present capital of Punjab.
He said at present 175 colleges of Punjab situated in the districts of Fazilka, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Moga, Muktsar Sahib and S.B.S Nagar are affiliated with Panjab University.
The local people and Bishal's family members claimed that he was found with multiple wounds on Wednesday. It is alleged that Bishal was killed for not agreeing to convert to Christianity in order to marry his tribal girlfriend. Though the police are yet to confirm whether the youth was killed or committed suicide, they have arrested five people in connection with the case.
According to a source with the Ministry, the diplomats see it as a question of credibility and said that such tall claims should be avoided as it hurts the credibility of the country and the government too. The source said that it has left the diplomats embarrassed.
During the intervening night of September 13 and 14, on a specific intelligence input, the ICG strategically deployed two fast interceptor class of ships, C-408 and C-454 for patrolling in areas close to the IMBL. During midnight, the Pakistani boat was observed moving suspiciously in Indian waters, 5 nm inside notional IMBL and 40 nm from Jakhau.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Wednesday that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab is raking up the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan cases purely to divert people's attention from its 'scandals'. The SAD chief, who was questioned by the SIT regarding the Kotkapura firing case which occurred in 2015, said all police actions are part of a laid down procedure.
Earlier in the day amid allegations of the BJP attempting to bring down the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, the AAP said it has filed a formal complaint, along with all proof, with Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav for a fair probe into threats and money offers to its legislators.
The G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State Government is scheduled to be held on September 9-10, 2023 in New Delhi, said the Ministry statement. The G20 is an inter-governmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies.
