Patiala, August 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Student organisations at Punjabi University, Patiala, continued their round-the-clock protest against the fee hike on Monday, with the agitation entering its sixth day outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
The students have formed a Fee Hike Opposition Front and launched an indefinite day-and-night protest. On Monday, several employee organisations extended their support to the agitation. Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) state president Bikramdev Singh and Democratic Mulazim Federation (DMF) leader Gurjit Singh joined the protest along with their colleagues.
University Employees Union president Gurjit Singh Gopalpuri, Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA) president Nishan Singh Deol and Guest Faculty Union representative Varinder Khurana addressed the protesters and expressed solidarity with their demands. Other university employee leaders, including Kulwinder Singh Kakrala and Hardas Singh, as well as representatives of the sanitation workers’ union and other employees, also joined the protest.
The Fee Hike Opposition Front comprises PSU, AISF, SFI, PSU (L), PRSU, Agragami, DSO and PSF.
The student organisations announced that they would organise a ‘Jaggo March’ from the Vice-Chancellor’s office to the Vice-Chancellor’s residence on the night of August 18.
Protest leaders said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had announced twice that the university’s debt would be waived, but the institution still has outstanding debt of around Rs 150 crore.
They announced that, as part of their agitation, Punjab government MLAs would be barred from entering the university campus on August 20.
The protesters have been demanding action to address the university’s financial situation without shifting the burden onto students through higher fees. The agitation is expected to continue as student and employee organisations intensify their campaign.
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