Chandigarh: For the second time in little over a year, Panjab University has reached an agreement with the family of a student who died on its campus- this time offering Rs 16 lakh in financial assistance, a Rs 19,000 job for the victim’s younger brother and a magisterial inquiry into the incident. But, much like after the murder of UIET student Aditya Thakur last year, the package came only after a tragedy had unfolded, protests had erupted and questions over accountability had engulfed the university.The agreement with the family of 28-year-old research scholar Jyoti was finalised late on Tuesday night after nearly four hours of discussions inside the vice-chancellor’s office amid unprecedented protests outside.Her maternal uncle, Sunil Kumar, said the family had entered the meeting seeking accountability rather than compensation. “We placed three demands before the university. An FIR should be registered against those responsible and strict action should be taken. My nephew should be given a permanent job. We also sought financial assistance of at least Rs 50 lakh,” he said. “Our biggest concern was that no other family’s child should die because of negligence. Those responsible must be punished.”According to Sunil Kumar, the initial rounds of talks failed to produce any agreement. “They were not giving satisfactory answers and no consensus could be reached. Later, when the SDM madam came, we repeated the same demands. She explained that the university could not pay such a large amount. The university officials said they could give a maximum of Rs 11 lakh from the welfare fund and another Rs 5 lakh from the Vice-Chancellor’s discretionary fund. They also informed us about an insurance amount of around Rs 2 lakh.”He said the family still believed the financial assistance was inadequate. “We told them it was still less. But then we thought, let’s get the process completed.”Under the agreement, Panjab University will provide Rs 11 lakh through the Dean Students’ Welfare fund and Rs 5 lakh from the Vice-Chancellor’s discretionary fund. Jyoti’s younger brother, who has passed Class XII and holds an ITI qualification in electrical work, will also be appointed as an electrician under applicable Punjab government rules. A senior UT Administration official also confirmed that a separate proposal is being prepared to provide ex gratia compensation from the Chandigarh Administration.Sunil Kumar said the university has already acknowledged receipt of the documents submitted for his nephew’s appointment. “They have given us a tracking number for the documents and told us we can monitor the status online. They have assured us that the offer letter will be issued within a week after completing the formalities,” he said.The agreement was reached only after a day that saw protests snowball across the campus. Following Jyoti’s death on Tuesday morning, students broke barricades outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office, staged demonstrations for hours and later forced open the entrance to the administrative block while demanding action against officials responsible for alleged negligence. Suspension orders against Executive Engineer-II Er Anil Thakur and officiating Sub-Divisional Engineer (Electrical) Er Lakhwinder Singh Dhanoa were issued only on Wednesday afternoon.The sequence has drawn comparisons with the university’s response after the murder of UIET student Aditya Thakur on the South Campus in March 2025. Following that incident, Panjab University had announced financial assistance of Rs 12.5 lakh for his family. In Jyoti’s case, the financial assistance has been increased to Rs 16 lakh, besides employment for her younger brother.In both tragedies, the university’s response eventually included compensation and a high-level inquiry. But for many students, the larger concern remains that accountability has followed only after lives were lost and public outrage forced action.
