The Patna University's annual senate meeting on Thursday witnessed stormy scenes as different students' organisations pressed for students' body elections, not held since 2012.

The last Patna University Students Union (Pusu) election had taken place in December 2012, after nearly 28 years.

As soon as the university's annual senate meeting began at Wheeler Senate Hall, students owing allegiance to different students' organisations such as AISF, AISA, ABVP, Chhatra Samagam (JDU students' wing) and RJD Chhatra Sangh tried to enter the hall.

Prashant Kumar, a student leader, said: 'Every year the university administration holds elections for teaching and non-teaching bodies, but, when it comes to students' body polls, they show no interest.'

The 2012 Pusu election, when Shambhu Nath Singh was vice-chancellor (VC), took place on the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee. The office-bearers' tenure was for one year and ended in 2013.

The police caned students trying to enter Wheeler Senate Hall on Thursday. Amid the din, the senate passed Patna University's Rs 295.22 crore budget, with a Rs 247.62 crore deficit for which the university will have to approach the state government.

Patna University pro vice-chancellor Ranjeet Kumar Verma, who read the budget statement in the presence of VC Y.C. Simhadri, said: 'The university sanctioned Rs 15 lakh for hiring retired teachers to meet shortage and Rs 13 crore for appointing non-teaching employees by outsourcing.'

The sanctioned teachers' strength is 888, but just 343 work. Sanctioned non-teaching staff is 1,436, only 828 work. The university also okayed introduction of a few courses and upgradation of some self-financing ones. New courses include molecular human cytogenetics, applied criminology and herbal chemistry.

Anthropology, women studies, Hindi journalism and mass communication, environment science and management courses would soon get department status. The university will now seek state government and the chancellor's approval.

Once self-financing courses get department status, there would be infrastructure and fees would come down, at par with the university structure.