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Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 25
In collaboration with a Mohali-based company, Punjab Agricultural University carried out a “socio-economic survey” that was seemingly aimed at gauging the political affiliations of voters in Moga, Faridkot, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Jalandhar.
This came to light when students assigned the task were confronted by hostile residents of a village who mistook them to be “Badal’s men”. Asked which party they had voted for in the 2012 Assembly elections and 2014 Lok Sabha elections and for whom they intended to vote in 2017, the residents heaped humiliation on the students, who saved their skin by showing their ID cards.
Two weeks ago, the students were informed by the Director, Students Welfare, PAU, that VSKM Limited, Mohali, had approached the authorities for a socio-economic study across the state and to begin with PAU had been allotted five districts.
It made it mandatory for male research scholars and postgraduates in four departments — Extension, Economics, Agricultural Management and Journalism — to conduct the study. Company representatives assured police protection in case they ran into trouble. The students were promised Rs 9,500 each towards transport expenses, but were given Rs 3,000.
Every student was given a tab with data on constituencies, booths and voter lists. Every student was asked to randomly visit five booths of a constituency and elicit the response of at least 30 voters. Details about the respondents were available on the tab.
“We obliged the company as we wanted the students to get on-field experience of collecting data for research. We were not aware of the questionnaire,” said Vice-Chancellor Dr BS Dhillon, when contacted. Late in the evening, PAU said it had disassociated itself from the survey going by the students’ feedback.
Ravi Bhagat, DC-cum-District Electoral Officer said, “Clearly, it is a violation of the secrecy of the ballot. I will check the matter and send a notice to the company.”
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