‘Can your daughter leave hostel anytime?’: Panjab University amends controversial consent form after protests

Protests

Panjab University (PU) in Chandigarh has announced changes to its controversial parental undertaking after student protests erupted outside Girls’ Hostel No. 6 on Thursday night. For the 2025–26 session, the form will now only inform parents that hostels have 24x7 access and residents are free to go out at any time.

Earlier, PU had issued a new declaration form for women hostel residents, requiring their parents to state whether they permit them to leave the hostel “at any time during the day or night.” The form also allowed the university to inform parents if a student stays out overnight or frequently returns after midnight, leading to protests by the students.

As per the authorities, the undertaking will now just include informing the parents that the hostels are open 24/7 and their wards can go outside any time, Hindustan Times reported.

Speaking about this, DSW Amit Chauhan said, “We have made some changes. The clauses will just include informing the parents that the hostels are open 24/7 and their wards can go outside at any time during the day or the night.”

The declaration form issued by PU earlier for women had sparked a fresh protest debate over student autonomy, with many alleging it undermines the hard-won 24x7 access rights secured after the 2018 campus protest. Students argued that this measure effectively reintroduces restrictions under the guise of parental consent, eroding the spirit of the 48-day protest in 2018 that sought equal mobility rights for women on campus.

Adding to their concerns, the form’s wording included the daytime, which students fear could bring even routine outings under unnecessary scrutiny.

According to PU officials, the form was introduced last year after the death of an MSc student during an outing. Her parents, aware of her medical issues, later told the university they did not know she regularly stayed out at night or that the hostel permitted round-the-clock access. The administration claims several parents have since expressed similar concerns.

PU Dean Students Welfare, Professor Amit Chauhan, described the form as a “middle path” aimed at balancing student freedoms with parental reassurance. “Most parents are fine with 24x7 entry, but they want to be informed if their child is out all night or repeatedly beyond midnight. This is not about policing, but about transparency and mutual understanding between students, their families, and the university,” TOI quoted Chauhan as saying.

However, student groups remain firmly opposed. Sarah from PSU Lalkar said, “The right belongs to the students, not their parents. The university should inform parents that 24x7 access exists regardless of approval, instead of shifting responsibility onto them.”

Kanupriya, who led the 2018 protest as PUCSC president, called the move a step backward. “Such affidavits undermine the autonomy of women students who are legally adults and capable of voting, and shift accountability away from authorities responsible for campus safety,” she said.