Demand to link the university with the name of Sikh martyrs or great people”

           Sikh community demands — Rajiv Gandhi University should be renamed immediately”

2. “Wounds of 1984 still fresh — University named after Rajiv Gandhi insulting Sikh sentiments”

3. Request to the central government — Link educational institutions with symbols of justice and truth”

4. Student organizations launch campaign to rename Rajiv Gandhi University”

5. “Keeping in mind Rajiv Gandhi’s controversial statement, demand to change the name of the university intensified”

6. “It is unfair to link a name associated with the wounds of Sikh genocide with education — Strong opposition from the organization”

7. Students raise voice to change the name of Rajiv Gandhi University

8 Demand to link the university with the name of Sikh martyrs or great people”

Patiala, November 2 Today, here outside Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab Students’ Parishad Front, led by President Yadvinder Singh Yadu, demonstrated demanding to change the name of the university. He said that we demand from the central government that the name of the person who justified the killing of thousands of innocent Sikhs in November 1984 should be immediately removed. Talking to reporters, Yadvinder Singh Yadu said that

The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had said — ‘When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.’ This statement was like justifying anti-Sikh violence. According to official figures, about 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone, while according to independent sources, more than 10,000 Sikhs were massacred in the entire country. 50,000 to 80,000 Sikhs were displaced from their homes and thousands of trucks, shops and gurdwaras were destroyed.

Isn’t it a violation of the sentiments of the Sikh community to have an educational institution in Punjab named after a person whose name is associated with that dark chapter — this matter is not just about a name, it is a matter related to our history and Sikh sentiments. Yadu said that today when we talk about education and development of the new generation in Punjab, such names remind us of sorrow instead of truth. Educational institutions should be associated with the names of personalities who are symbols of truth, justice and humanity.

The central government should consider this matter sensitively and respect the sentiments of the Sikh community. This demand is not a political protest, it is a demand for justice, truth and historical respect. The Sikh community is not just demanding a name change — it is a matter of justice and respect. The leaders said that they have appealed to all political parties, student organizations and human rights organizations to support this matter so that the name of the university is in line with the principles of true unity and justice.