Bathinda: Only days before the Supreme Court quashed the recruitment of 1158 assistant professors and librarians in government colleges of Punjab, nuclear astrophysicist assistant professor Rajesh Kumar had got an invite to present a research paper in California State University Fullerton (CSUF). As he failed to get a visa due to paucity of time, Rajesh presented his research paper in hybrid mode. Posted at government college Talwara, Rajesh was invited by California State University to present neutron star research in GravNu 2025, gravitational-wave astronomy meets nuclear astrophysics ‘integrating contemporary observational constraints into a generalised chiral description of dense matter’ as the researchers from multiple fields, working together to understand how gravitational-wave astronomy got together from July 7-11, to help understand the dense matter equation of state and heavy-element nucleosynthesis in the universe. Earlier, his research paper was published in physical review ‘exploring the role of hexaquarks on quark deconfinement and hybrid starts’ was published in peer-reviewed scientific journal ‘Physical Review’. Rajesh remained in the US for 3 years at Kent State University Ohio for post doctorate research in nuclear astrophysicist. He said presenting research papers in California State University is an honour for me but the government college in Punjab. A number of talented researchers were among those recruited in 1158 and now are on the roads. Mohammad Sohail Dhillon, PhD in Public Administration, is another teacher, having multiple achievements under his sleeve but is on the roads. He had done post doctorate research in universities in Canada, the US and Singapore over fellowships by renowned institutions including National University of Singapore. He also got funded post doctorate research work twice in China and in South Africa. Returned from Germany Gurdeep Singh, PhD in Chemistry was into post doctorate research at RWTH Aachen University in Germany and returned to join as assistant professor after a division bench of Punjab and Haryana high court upheld the recruitment in September 2024.Similarly, a couple Sukhpreet Singh and his wife Harpreet Kaur, both into Punjabi language returned from Canada to join services as assistant professors in government colleges at Patiala and Nabha. Priyanka in Chemistry returned from the UK to join as assistant professor in Punjab. The assistant professors are preparing to file a review petition and have a panel meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on July 25 where they will press the state government to move a review petition. There is sanctioned strength of 2361 regular faculty in 64 government colleges in Punjab and upon the quashing of recruitment of assistant professors, presently there are around 900 teaching in government colleges which include nearly 700 as guest faculty.
