A 28-year-old PhD scholar at Panjab University in Chandigarh died after allegedly being electrocuted on the campus on Tuesday. Jyoti, a resident of Rewari, Haryana, was pursuing a PhD in the Department of Microbiology.She was going to her department from her hostel on Panjab University’s South Campus in Sector 25 and was passing through a waterlogged area when she was electrocuted.&nbsp;&nbsp;As per reports, she had taken an unpaved path to avoid waterlogging while walking from Girls’ Hostel No. 10 to the Department of Microbiology.Officials said electric current may have passed from a nearby electric junction box.&nbsp;She was rushed to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, but the doctors there declared her brought dead. Police have registered an FIR in connection with the incident and began an investigation.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/anti-paper-leak-bill-passed-by-voice-vote-in-lok-sabha-amid-opposition-uproar-1785321067909">Anti-paper leak bill passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha amid opposition uproar</a>&nbsp;Jyoti came from a humble background and was supporting her family through her Senior Research Fellowship (SRF). She had recently returned to the university after the summer break.Sources said her father works as a driver at a private school in Haryana and is also engaged in small-scale farming.&nbsp;“She was on the verge of completing her PhD and was finalising her thesis. She wanted to become a professor,” said her uncle Jatinder.&nbsp;<h2>Death sparks protests on campus</h2>&nbsp;Jyoti’s death sparked massive protests on the campus, with student groups locking the vice chancellor's office and demanding action against those responsible for campus maintenance and electrical safety, along with compensation for her family.&nbsp;The ABVP staged a protest outside the office of the university’s Executive Engineer (XEN) and locked it before marching to the vice-chancellor's office. Tensions escalated as members of other student organisations joined the protest, prompting police intervention to control the situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-cjp-s-success-e20-janta-party-makes-waves-seeks-ethanol-free-petrol-option-and-gadkari-s-ouster-1785149992332">After CJP’s success, ‘E20 Janta Party’ makes waves, seeks ethanol-free petrol option and Gadkari’s ouster</a>&nbsp;The protesting students demanded the immediate suspension and resignation of the executive engineer and other officials concerned. They also sought a high-level inquiry into the incident.&nbsp;Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari also expressed grief over the incident. In a post on X, he called Jyoti's death heartbreaking and urged the Chandigarh administration and Panjab University authorities to fix responsibility and ensure accountability.&nbsp;<h2>University announces financial assistance, job for Jyoti’s brother</h2>Meanwhile, outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof. Renu Vig expressed grief over the demise of research scholar Jyoti. She met the bereaved family and assured them of every possible support.&nbsp;Following a meeting with the family members of Jyoti, the Panjab University authorities announced financial assistance of Rs 16 lakh and a job for her brother.Jyoti's brother, who has passed 10+2 and has an ITI (electrical) degree, has been offered employment at the university as an electrician as per Punjab government rules, officials said.&nbsp;<h2>University starts safety audit after loss of precious life&nbsp;</h2>&nbsp;The university launched a comprehensive safety audit of electric poles, streetlights, junction boxes, and exposed wiring across the campus at the demand of the students after the incident.

PhD scholar Jyoti had taken an unpaved path to avoid waterlogging while walking from Girls’ Hostel No. 10 to the Department of Microbiology on the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh. She was rushed to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, but was declared brought dead.

A 28-year-old PhD scholar at Panjab University in Chandigarh died after allegedly being electrocuted on the campus on Tuesday. Jyoti, a resident of Rewari, Haryana, was pursuing a PhD in the Department of Microbiology. She was going to her department from her hostel on Panjab University’s South Campus in Sector 25 and was passing through a waterlogged area when she was electrocuted. As per reports, she had taken an unpaved path to avoid waterlogging while walking from Girls’ Hostel No. 10 to the Department of Microbiology. Officials said electric current may have passed from a nearby electric junction box. She was rushed to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, but the doctors there declared her brought dead. Police have registered an FIR in connection with the incident and began an investigation. Also Read: Anti-paper leak bill passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha amid opposition uproar Jyoti came from a humble background and was supporting her family through her Senior Research Fellowship (SRF). She had recently returned to the university after the summer break. Sources said her father works as a driver at a private school in Haryana and is also engaged in small-scale farming. “She was on the verge of completing her PhD and was finalising her thesis. She wanted to become a professor,” said her uncle Jatinder. Death sparks protests on campus Jyoti’s death sparked massive protests on the campus, with student groups locking the vice chancellor's office and demanding action against those responsible for campus maintenance and electrical safety, along with compensation for her family. The ABVP staged a protest outside the office of the university’s Executive Engineer (XEN) and locked it before marching to the vice-chancellor's office. Tensions escalated as members of other student organisations joined the protest, prompting police intervention to control the situation. Also Read: After CJP’s success, ‘E20 Janta Party’ makes waves, seeks ethanol-free petrol option and Gadkari’s ouster The protesting students demanded the immediate suspension and resignation of the executive engineer and other officials concerned. They also sought a high-level inquiry into the incident. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari also expressed grief over the incident. In a post on X, he called Jyoti's death heartbreaking and urged the Chandigarh administration and Panjab University authorities to fix responsibility and ensure accountability. University announces financial assistance, job for Jyoti’s brother Meanwhile, outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof. Renu Vig expressed grief over the demise of research scholar Jyoti. She met the bereaved family and assured them of every possible support. Following a meeting with the family members of Jyoti, the Panjab University authorities announced financial assistance of Rs 16 lakh and a job for her brother. Jyoti's brother, who has passed 10+2 and has an ITI (electrical) degree, has been offered employment at the university as an electrician as per Punjab government rules, officials said. University starts safety audit after loss of precious life The university launched a comprehensive safety audit of electric poles, streetlights, junction boxes, and exposed wiring across the campus at the demand of the students after the incident.

PhD scholar Jyoti had taken an unpaved path to avoid waterlogging while walking from Girls’ Hostel No. 10 to the Department of Microbiology on the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh. She was rushed to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, but was declared brought dead.

28-year-old woman PhD scholar dies of electrocution on Panjab University campus

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there was widespread concern that the country's electoral system was being undermined by the use of money and muscle power and stressed on the need to effect electoral reforms to check the menace.

Addressing the first S B Rangnekar Memorial Oration at the Panjab University, his alma mater, Singh said India's electoral system has succeeded against great odds and has destroyed feudal systems of government. It has opened up opportunities for the common man, without any social, economic or political privilege whatsoever by birth, to occupy the highest positions of power, he said.

"There is, however, today widespread concern that our electoral system is being undermined by money power and muscle power," he said, addressing the gathering here.

"The faith of the people in democratic elections as the best system to select a government that would govern in the common interest is today being eroded as much by a sustained campaign to attack democratic institutions and elected representatives as by the increasing political corruption and the capture of political parties and elected office by vested interests," he said.

Electoral reforms to cleanse elections of money and muscle power and to maintain integrity of elected officials are vital areas for securing and strengthening India's democracy, said the former prime minister.

Talking about renewing commitment to democracy, Singh invoked B R Ambedkar and said, "Democracy requires not only that all of us must get involved, but that we must each ensure that everyone has an equal voice."&nbsp

"Dr. Ambedkar once worried that the day may come when people may prefer government for the people to government by and of the people. He saw that as a great danger. On this 70th anniversary, we must ensure that we do not fall into the trap of choosing government for the people over government by and of the people," he said.&nbsp

The topic of Singh's address was: The Seventieth Anniversary of our Independence - Strengthening the roots of our Democracy.

"We need to ask ourselves whether we are losing patience with democracy and turning to more authoritarian alternatives that may well yield superior short-term results but in the long term will end up destroying our country and all the achievements of the last seventy years," he said.

"Governance is complex. It is messy. It is slow. Its benefits are long term. It requires great patience. Above all, democracy is a system in which people without privilege have a decisive voice in governance. If this is lost, democracy becomes meaningless," said Singh.

"Democracy requires not only that all of us must get involved, but that we must each ensure that everyone has an equal voice," he said.

Dwelling on the issue of equality, Singh said it is the keystone of democracy. "And it is one of the greatest challenges faced by India in building our democracy because of the persistence in our society of feudal, hierarchical ideas of inequality based on caste, class and gender."&nbsp

Singh said, "Speaking on November 25, 1949 to the Constituent Assembly about his concerns on the challenge of transforming India into a society based on equality, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said, [In our Republic], in politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one-man-one-vote and one-vote-one-value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one-man-one-value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life?&nbsp

"If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up."

Singh said that the country's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru warned in 1952 in one of his letters to chief ministers, "if poverty and low standards continue then democracy for all its fine institutions and ideals, ceases to be a liberating force."&nbsp

"The economic liberalisation that I was associated with in 1991-1996 (as the finance minister) and 2004-2014 (as the prime minister) was, above all, a process of opening up new opportunities for people born without social and economic privilege. This was for me the guiding vision behind our economic reforms," he said.

He said democracy is more than a system of governance.

"Equality, freedom and fraternity are the three values that constitute the life breath of democracy - its very essence," he said.&nbsp

'The faith of the people in democratic elections as the best system to select a government that would govern in the common interest is today being eroded as much by a sustained campaign to attack democratic institutions and elected representatives as by the increasing political corruption and the capture of political parties and elected office by vested interests,' Singh said

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there was widespread concern that the country's electoral system was being undermined by the use of money and muscle power and stressed on the need to effect electoral reforms to check the menace. Addressing the first S B Rangnekar Memorial Oration at the Panjab University, his alma mater, Singh said India's electoral system has succeeded against great odds and has destroyed feudal systems of government. It has opened up opportunities for the common man, without any social, economic or political privilege whatsoever by birth, to occupy the highest positions of power, he said. "There is, however, today widespread concern that our electoral system is being undermined by money power and muscle power," he said, addressing the gathering here. "The faith of the people in democratic elections as the best system to select a government that would govern in the common interest is today being eroded as much by a sustained campaign to attack democratic institutions and elected representatives as by the increasing political corruption and the capture of political parties and elected office by vested interests," he said. Electoral reforms to cleanse elections of money and muscle power and to maintain integrity of elected officials are vital areas for securing and strengthening India's democracy, said the former prime minister. Talking about renewing commitment to democracy, Singh invoked B R Ambedkar and said, "Democracy requires not only that all of us must get involved, but that we must each ensure that everyone has an equal voice." "Dr. Ambedkar once worried that the day may come when people may prefer government for the people to government by and of the people. He saw that as a great danger. On this 70th anniversary, we must ensure that we do not fall into the trap of choosing government for the people over government by and of the people," he said. The topic of Singh's address was: The Seventieth Anniversary of our Independence - Strengthening the roots of our Democracy. "We need to ask ourselves whether we are losing patience with democracy and turning to more authoritarian alternatives that may well yield superior short-term results but in the long term will end up destroying our country and all the achievements of the last seventy years," he said. "Governance is complex. It is messy. It is slow. Its benefits are long term. It requires great patience. Above all, democracy is a system in which people without privilege have a decisive voice in governance. If this is lost, democracy becomes meaningless," said Singh. "Democracy requires not only that all of us must get involved, but that we must each ensure that everyone has an equal voice," he said. Dwelling on the issue of equality, Singh said it is the keystone of democracy. "And it is one of the greatest challenges faced by India in building our democracy because of the persistence in our society of feudal, hierarchical ideas of inequality based on caste, class and gender." Singh said, "Speaking on November 25, 1949 to the Constituent Assembly about his concerns on the challenge of transforming India into a society based on equality, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said, [In our Republic], in politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one-man-one-vote and one-vote-one-value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one-man-one-value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? "If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up." Singh said that the country's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru warned in 1952 in one of his letters to chief ministers, "if poverty and low standards continue then democracy for all its fine institutions and ideals, ceases to be a liberating force." "The economic liberalisation that I was associated with in 1991-1996 (as the finance minister) and 2004-2014 (as the prime minister) was, above all, a process of opening up new opportunities for people born without social and economic privilege. This was for me the guiding vision behind our economic reforms," he said. He said democracy is more than a system of governance. "Equality, freedom and fraternity are the three values that constitute the life breath of democracy - its very essence," he said.

Faith of people in democratic elections being eroded: Manmohan Singh

Panjab University students have been booked under sedition charges allegedly for raising slogans against the ministry of human resource development and Panjab University administration on the issue of hiking the fee.

According to a report in <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/for-protesting-fee-hike-66-panjab-university-students-are-booked-for-sedition-4609728/" target="_blank">The&nbsp;Indian Express</a>, 66 students of Panjab University have been booked under sedition by the Chandigarh police after a university official filed a police complaint against students.

The news report quoted Ashwani Kaul, Panjab University&#39;s chief security officer as saying:&nbsp;&quot;On behalf of PU, I lodged a police complaint and stated that the protesters raised slogans against the state. By the word &#39;state&#39;, I meant Ministry of Human Resources Development, UGC and PU. The protesters were raising slogans such as &#39;PU murdabad&#39;, &#39;MHRD murdabad&#39;, and &#39;UGC murdabad&#39;. Police misinterpreted and slapped sedition charges on them. I have examined the CCTV footage and video recordings of the protest and have clarified the situation to the Chandigarh Police.&quot;

The Chandigarh Police has said that the charges will be dropped if no substantial evidence is found against them, the report said.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Panjab University students clashed with the police protesting the decision of university to hike fee&nbsp;by 15 per cent, ANI reported.

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Chandigarh: Panjab University students protest against fee hike in the campus. <a href="https://t.co/eYa8nD0qvf">pic.twitter.com/eYa8nD0qvf</a>
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Several students and police personnel along with some journalists sustained injuries during the clashes.

The fee hike has been necesssary&nbsp;due to a financial crisis&nbsp;faced by&nbsp;Panjab University, which has led to the hiking of fees by up to 1,100 per cent in some courses, reported The Tribune. 
&nbsp; 
(WION)

66 students of Panjab University have been booked for sedition by the Chandigarh police, according to an Indian Express report

Panjab University students have been booked under sedition charges allegedly for raising slogans against the ministry of human resource development and Panjab University administration on the issue of hiking the fee. According to a report in The Indian Express, 66 students of Panjab University have been booked under sedition by the Chandigarh police after a university official filed a police complaint against students. The news report quoted Ashwani Kaul, Panjab University's chief security officer as saying: "On behalf of PU, I lodged a police complaint and stated that the protesters raised slogans against the state. By the word 'state', I meant Ministry of Human Resources Development, UGC and PU. The protesters were raising slogans such as 'PU murdabad', 'MHRD murdabad', and 'UGC murdabad'. Police misinterpreted and slapped sedition charges on them. I have examined the CCTV footage and video recordings of the protest and have clarified the situation to the Chandigarh Police." The Chandigarh Police has said that the charges will be dropped if no substantial evidence is found against them, the report said. On Tuesday, hundreds of Panjab University students clashed with the police protesting the decision of university to hike fee by 15 per cent, ANI reported. Chandigarh: Panjab University students protest against fee hike in the campus. pic.twitter.com/eYa8nD0qvf — ANI (@ANI_news) April 11, 2017 × Several students and police personnel along with some journalists sustained injuries during the clashes. The fee hike has been necesssary due to a financial crisis faced by Panjab University, which has led to the hiking of fees by up to 1,100 per cent in some courses, reported The Tribune. (WION)

Panjab University: Students protesting fee hike booked for sedition by Chandigarh Police

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28-year-old woman PhD scholar dies of electrocution on Panjab University campus

Faith of people in democratic elections being eroded: Manmohan Singh

Panjab University: Students protesting fee hike booked for sedition by Chandigarh Police