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As per the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU), nearly 90% of the 2,409 students who participated in a referendum voted in favour of the vice-chancellor of the university, Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit, stepping down. JNUSU stated this at a press conference held at the Press Club of India on Wednesday.

The union mentioned that the results of the referendum mirror the sentiments of the larger student community.

JNUSU carried out the referendum, A casteist and corrupt VC has no place in JNU, on Tuesday. Sixteen booths were installed at different schools on the campus. Former members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) oversaw the entire exercise, the union stated.

The referendum followed a number of protests by the JNUSU resulting from the comments made by Pandit in a podcast interview. In that interview, she is said to have made a derogatory remark about Dalits.

"The total number of students who participated in the voting was 2 409 out of which 2,181 students (90.54%) voted to not have the vice-chancellor continue. A total of 207 students (8.59%) voted in favour of her continuing as V-C and 21 votes were declared invalid,” the JNUSU said.

“The referendum clearly reflects the overwhelming sentiment of the student body. The students of JNU have delivered a decisive democratic mandate demanding accountability and the resignation of the vice-chancellor,” the union added.

The JNU administration did not comment on the matter.

Calling the referendum undemocratic, Christhu Doss, a professor at JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies, said the VC’s comments should have been examined through debate and discussion.

“I find the vice-chancellor’s remarks debatable, and given JNU’s rigorous academic and intellectual culture, it should have been discussed and debated rather than addressed through a referendum,” Doss said.

Work at the Government Dental College on the Civil Hospital campus in Asarwa was severely affected after intern doctors went on strike two days ago, protesting the lack of hostel accommodation. The protest created a situation where routine academic and hospital activities came to a halt.

Students pursuing dental studies are required to complete a four-year academic programme followed by a year-long internship. According to existing rules, hostel facilities are not provided to students during their internship period. Based on this regulation, the college administration recently instructed intern doctors who were staying in the hostel to vacate their rooms.

The students launched a strike demanding that hostel accommodation be provided during their internship. As a result, intern doctors stopped performing their internship duties two days ago.

The students are protesting because they think that accommodation should be arranged for them while they are doing their internship. The strike has worried the college administration as the absence of interns might lead to a disruption or change of the regular services/activities.

On the other hand, the college officials stood firm that this is a direct implementation of the current policy. They explained that the students are expected to move out of the hostel after finishing four years of academic studies so that the rooms can be given to the newly admitted students particularly given the limited hostel capacities.

On the topic of stipend, the authorities spoke that interns receive their stipend only after the date on which the internship officially starts. They also assured that no one has had any stipend or scholarship held back.

The college management explained that talks are taking place with the students in order to resolve the issue and convince them to return to the internship activities at the earliest.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday proposed 19, 279 crore for the education sector in 2026, 27 while announcing a series of reforms, saying that the state government is redesigning the entire education ecosystem for the next generation.

While delivering the state budget in the state Assembly here, Cheema said that education reforms in Punjab have gone a long way from a promise to a structural transformation.

"During the last four years, we have physically improved the schools, paid attention to the development of basic skills and also made some government schools as centres of excellence, " he added.

"In FY 2026, 27, the reform journey will be at its next phase, consolidation with expansion", said Cheema while proposing a budgetary outlay of 19, 279 crores for the education sector which is a 7 per cent increase over the previous year.

Stressing that every developed nation in the world has risen on one decisive foundation, the quality of education it provides to its children, he said if Punjab is to compete globally, create jobs, attract investment and secure prosperity for the next generation, then education cannot be treated as just another department.

It must be a mission, he asserted.

Under 'Punjab Sikhiya Kranti', we made a bold and historic choice to place education at the very top of the political agenda and support it with unprecedented reforms and investments, he said.

"Punjab's government schools have demonstrated that excellence is not the privilege of a few, but the right of every child. Having secured national leadership, we are now preparing Punjab's education system for global benchmarks, he said.

Cheema said the state government has decided to launch 'Sikhiya Kranti 2.0' initiative to transform our education system with an outlay of ₹3,500 crore, over the next six years.

We have signed a historic collaboration with the World Bank for transforming school education. This represents one of the largest education reform investments in Punjab's history.

This mission will strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy, expand science and commerce streams, empower teachers and school leaders, institutionalize structured career counselling and modernise governance systems, he pointed out.

"Punjab is not merely reforming schools. We are redesigning the entire education ecosystem for the next generation," he said.

This year, ₹690 crore has been allocated to further strengthen school infrastructure, he said.

He said the education department is partnering with experts from reputed coaching institutions to provide structured professional preparation within government schools themselves.

Talent in Punjab will now compete nationally and internationally on equal footing, regardless of income or background. We will continue to invest in ensuring our students have a bright future, he said.

"We are institutionalizing a statewide Career Counselling Framework covering approximately 7.35 lakh students from Grades IX to XII. We will be launching a career counselling support portal for our children to be more informed about jobs and higher education decisions," he said.

More than half of the 185 government colleges in Haryana are currently operating without permanent principals. Also, over one-fourth of assistant professor positions remain unfilled, relying heavily on temporary extensions to keep classrooms functioning.

The state government disclosed these figures during the Question Hour of the ongoing Haryana Assembly Budget Session Thursday in response to queries raised by INLD MLA Arjun Chautala.

The government announced that there are 185 government colleges in Haryana, with 177 sanctioned principal positions. Currently, 82 of these positions are filled, leaving 95 vacant. Additionally, the government noted that approval for principal positions at eight of the 185 new colleges is still pending.

There are 8,137 sanctioned assistant professor posts, of which 3,303 are filled.Moreover, extension lecturers hold 1, 971 posts while guest lecturers hold only 44, which means that there are still 2, 819 posts that are vacant.

Minister of Higher Education Mahipal Dhanda explained that the government is tackling these vacancies by giving "additional charges" to the principals of the nearest colleges or to the senior most faculty members.

He added that in 2025, 26 the government managed to fill 31 vacancies by promotion, and 19 more are being considered.

Besides, the government is also at the stage of implementation of changes to the service rules so that the rest 45 posts can be filled by direct recruitment. Further, the recruitment process for 424 posts of assistant professors (Group B) is going on, he said.

In case of Group B vacancies (assistant professors), the government has engaged 1,971 extension lecturers and 44 guest lecturers to meet the teaching requirements. In case of Group C and Group D vacancies, they are managed by engaging suitable manpower through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited," said the minister.

The state board has urged the election authorities to exempt municipal teachers assisting in the Class 10 and 12 examinations in Mumbai from work on updating the voters’ list ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

While municipal teachers are typically appointed as booth-level officers (BLOs) to discharge various electoral duties, this time, they point out, Class 10 and 12 exams are underway, clashing with duties relating to the pre-SIR process.

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Mumbai division, representing the teachers, has brought up the matter.

On 26th February, the Mumbai divisional secretary Jyotna Shinde, Pawar addressed a letter to the state chief electoral officer (CEO), requesting waiver of BLO duties for teachers engaged in the conduct of Class 10 and Class 12 examinations.

Teachers from the municipality are being tasked with going to people's homes to collect information that will be used in the updating of the electoral rolls, such as details of the voters, new photos to substitute the old ones, and verification of basic information, among other things. In January, several training sessions were conducted by electoral registration officers in various assembly constituencies in Mumbai. However, many teachers could not attend these training sessions as examinations are underway.

As a result, the electoral registration officer from the Bandra assembly constituency sought to register a first information report (FIR) against 60-odd teachers. No police action has been taken so far but teachers’ organisations have objected to this move.

Shivnath Darade, executive member of the Shikshak Parishad, has written to the state chief electoral officer, saying, “There isn’t sufficient staff in schools. If teachers go for training and BLO work, how will school work continue? It is affecting academics. The CEO must give concession to teachers during the examination session.”

Teachers say that apart from board exams, many are also involved in conducting annual exams for Classes 1 to 9. “We are preparing students for exams and conducting papers. We request the Election Commission to give us time till the examinations are over,” the teacher said.

Rushikant Ghosalkar of the Municipal Samarth Kamgar Sanghatana has also written to the CEO. “In Malabar Hill assembly constituency, the local officer has exempted teachers involved in examination work from BLO duties and training sessions,” he wrote, urging similar relief across constituencies.

Prashant Dhage, electoral registration officer from Bandra constituency, said, “We need to update the voters’ list before actual SIR work begins. So we are conducting training as this work is also important and needs to be completed.”

The family members of Pulak Haldar, a final-year student of Kalyani Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital and Medical College in West Bengal's Nadia district, whose decomposed body was recovered from the hostel room, have claimed that he was murdered. 

Friday brings the autopsy on the medical student, once done then clarity may come about what caused the death, according to one officer looking into it.

According to Sudhanshu Haldar, the father of the deceased medical student, several injuries and cut marks were noticed on the body of his son, which created suspicions about the possible murder. This is surely not a case of natural death. We demand an in, depth and fair investigation into the matter. I do not want the investigation into the death of my son to meet the same fate as the case of the gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in 2024, he added.

Pulak wasnt merely bright and serious about studies, mentioned Uttam Mondal, whos connected to the family by relation, his conduct stood out too. A quiet discipline marked how he moved through life, shaping more than grades. “I, too, have noticed injury and cut marks on his face and belly. So, an assault on him before his death cannot be ruled out. I hope that there will be a fair and proper investigation into the matter,” Mondal said.

That Tuesday afternoon, Pulak walked into the hostel canteen just before dusk. Following that moment, nobody spotted him exiting the building. Students passed through common areas without noticing him. Hostel staff also reported no sign of movement near his room. His absence stretched silently beyond twenty, four hours. The cameras showed only empty corridors after nightfall.

A stench filled the air around his dorm on February 26, a Thursday. With no reply coming from within, someone forced the door. Inside, they found what remained of him.

Few days after their final call, relatives told officers it happened on the twentieth of February, the same day Pulak vanished without trace.

Pulak once spoke up about being pushed around by classmates when things got heated over the RG Kar case, his relatives say. Not long ago, tension spilled into school hallways. Some kids turned on him, apparently because he took a stand. The situation weighed on him, according to those close by. Words were thrown. He felt isolated. Others didnt back him. Silence followed each outburst. His discomfort wasn't hidden. Family noticed changes. Actions piled up where words failed. Pressure built without warning signs. Discomfort became routine. It was also alleged that he had academic difficulties, though these claims are yet to be officially confirmed.