For the first time since its inception four decades ago, the Punjab Agricultural University Teachers' Association (PAUTA) has dissolved the House. Dr R S Dhilon, senior faculty, Department of Chemistry, has been appointed as the returning officer. He will announce the fresh dates for elections soon.

The PAUTA had plunged into crisis after its president Dr M S Mahal had resigned a couple of weeks ago. The union led by Mukesh Siag, who is the general secretary of the executive, anointed Dr G S Saroa as the new president. However, the announcement did not gel well with PAUTA vice-president Dr BS Sohal, who claimed that Dr Mahal's resignation had not been accepted and termed Dr Saroa's appointment as unconstitutional. PAUTA, which met this morning at the general house meeting, could not go beyond its first agenda of accepting Dr Saroa as the president. The house also witnessed scenes of heated arguments between the PAUTA factions.

Dr Kamaldeep Sangha, who led the rival faction, said, "The members had asked Mukesh Saig to leave. According to the university rules, he is no longer the general secretary of the union. He did not let anyone else speak and thus heated argument broke." On his group's objections to Dr Saroa's appointment as the president, Dr Harmeet Singh Khingra said, "The executive is misinterpreting the PAUTA constitution. We can not accept Dr Saroa as the president. At the end, it was decided that the house be dissolved and fresh elections will be conducted to secure mandate from the faculty."

Though the media people were not allowed in the meeting, uproars and high pitched voices of enraged faculty members were audible even in the corridors.

Photojournalists shoved off