Bathinda Varsity to document Partition Sufferings

The Central University of Punjab (CUP) has announced that it will establish a Centre for Partition and Atrocities Studies to preserve the memories of people who lived through the Partition of 1947. Vice Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari said on Wednesday that the university has already documented the stories of ten surviving witnesses and plans to interview more elderly individuals on Independence Day.

Prof. Tiwari highlighted that the people of undivided Punjab endured immense suffering during the Partition, and many of those who witnessed that traumatic period are now very old. He stressed the urgency of recording their experiences before it becomes too late, so future generations can understand this tragic chapter of modern history.

The proposed centre will also offer a PhD programme focused on Partition studies and forms part of a larger academic expansion initiative approved by the Union government. Under this plan, CUP will set up five new academic departments and two research centres.

Additionally, the university is launching the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Centre of Studies in Indic Civilisation and Religious Studies, established in memory of the 350th martyrdom anniversary of the ninth Sikh Guru. The Vice Chancellor noted that this centre will offer MA and PhD courses.

The Union Ministry of Education has also given clearance for CUP to open new departments in:

- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

- Community Medicine and Health

- Hospitality and Tourism Management

- Biotechnology and Bioinformatics

- Public Policy and Governance

These departments and centres will help CUP introduce new integrated, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes starting next academic session. To support this expansion, the centre has approved 44 new faculty positions, the first significant addition to the university’s academic staff in seven years.