PHAGWARA: Violent protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara erupted after social media reports and student claims about the alleged rape of a female student on campus, coupled with questions over the suicide of another student from Telangana.The allegations have not been established. Police have registered an FIR against unknown persons and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter, while LPU has denied that a rape took place on campus and termed the reports “false”, “baseless” and “fabricated”.The protests, which began near a girls’ hostel early Sunday, escalated into vandalism, arson, clashes with police and a blockade of NH-44 connecting Jalandhar and Phagwara.
Students protest at private Punjab university
What triggered the LPU protest ?
The immediate trigger was a series of claims circulating among students and on social media that a female student staying in Girls’ Hostel-3 had allegedly been raped by a plumber three days earlier.Students also alleged that the hostel warden had been informed but that no action was taken.According to police, students raised the issue during the protests and an FIR was registered on the basis of their complaint. No accused has been named so far.Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said police would examine forensic evidence, CCTV footage and call records before reaching a conclusion.
Students protest at private Punjab university
“We will analyse forensic samples, CCTV camera footage, call records, etc., before reaching a conclusion,” the officer said.Police have also formed an SIT to investigate the allegations.
Suicide claim added to the anger
During the protest, students also raised the case of a 21-year-old LPU student from Telangana who died by suicide after allegedly jumping from the seventh floor of a girls’ hostel on September 10.The student was identified as Laxmi Chandra, a BTech Agriculture student. The incident took place around 11am. She was taken for medical examination but was declared dead, following which her body was sent to Civil Hospital, Phagwara, for post-mortem and other legal formalities.Police said the circumstances surrounding her death were being investigated.
A view of a vehicle vandalised by students during a protest outside Lovely Professional University (LPU), in Phagwara on Sunday.
DIG Singla said the student had died around 15 days before the protests and that her parents had visited LPU. Her mobile phone was sent for forensic examination, he said.“If the students say that there was foul play, action will be taken,” Singla said.The circumstances that led to Laxmi’s death have not been established in the material available.
Internet services shut down around LPU
Internet services were also shut down in and around the university during the unrest.Students said they had not been getting mobile data services since midnight.DIG Singla said internet services had been shut down in a 3-4 km area around LPU until Monday 10pm.The shutdown came as police and the administration attempted to contain the unrest and prevent the circulation of unverified information while the situation remained tense.
Looting, arson and vandalism rock LPU campus
Videos emerging from LPU’s Uni Mall purportedly show people picking up food, gadgets and other items from shops amid the violence. In one clip, a voice says, “free mein shopping, shopping done”, while another person points to items and says they can be ordered for free.Other visuals show people eating food inside the mall, while shops, an ATM kiosk and university property appear damaged.The videos could not be independently verified, and it was not immediately clear whether everyone seen taking items was an LPU student.The unrest also saw protesters allegedly vandalise shops, set three police vehicles on fire and damage several other vehicles.Students also alleged that outsiders and “goons” had entered the university, with one student claiming that the university hall was damaged, the CS building was set on fire and the admission block was vandalised.
What did LPU say?
LPU denied that a rape had taken place on campus and described the reports as rumours.Registrar Monica Gulati said certain anti-social elements were spreading “false, baseless and fabricated” allegations through social media.The university said the reports appeared to be a “deliberate” and “concerted” attempt to malign its reputation and disturb the academic environment.LPU also released a video statement from three female students staying in Room 504 of Girls’ Hostel-3. They said no rape incident had taken place in their room and said they had been staying there for around two months.Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu said the university was willing to cooperate with the investigation.“There is nothing to hide and such matters can’t be concealed,” Sandhu said.
What happened during the protest?
The protest began near the girls’ hostel around 1am on Sunday. As the number of protesters grew, the situation escalated.Protestors damaged administrative buildings, shops and other campus property. Viral videos showed damaged window panes and flower pots, burning objects and people allegedly taking items from shops.Some protesters climbed onto a decommissioned MiG-23UM aircraft installed on the campus, while others climbed onto a military tank.The protesters subsequently blocked NH-44 outside the university, causing long traffic queues and leaving commuters stranded.Police said the blockade continued for more than 15 hours before traffic was restored.
How did the clash with police happen?
Police said they attempted to persuade students to lift the highway blockade. The confrontation escalated on Sunday evening after protesters allegedly threw stones at police.Police then resorted to a lathi charge, following which students allegedly ran towards the campus and began pelting stones at police vehicles.Three police vehicles were set on fire, while several vehicles were damaged. Police personnel were also injured.A heavy police force was subsequently deployed from Kapurthala, Jalandhar Rural and Hoshiarpur.Punjab Police later conducted a flag march on the campus. ADGP M F Farooqui said more than 2,000 personnel had been deployed.Police say outsiders may have entered campusPunjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said police had found indications of outsiders being present during the unrest.Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said police had detained four-five people late Saturday night after finding one of them carrying a walkie-talkie. According to Toora, questioning showed they were army personnel sent by an army officer whose daughter was staying in a hostel.Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding their presence.
Students raised hostel safety demands
Apart from the alleged rape, students raised several grievances concerning hostel security.DGP Yadav said one of the demands was that only women staff should be present in girls’ hostels.“We bridged the gap and sorted it out. Meetings were held yesterday too, and another meeting is scheduled for today,” Yadav said.DIG Singla also said girl students had demanded that the entire hostel staff should comprise women.Students describe the night of violenceStudents who spoke to ANI described the scenes as “horrific” and said their immediate concern was safety.One student said the university had advised students to remain inside their hostels and protest peacefully.“We are feeling safe right now, but we are not sure if everything will be normal after 10 days,” the student said.Another student alleged that people from outside had entered the campus and damaged buildings.“This protest is going on for the girls, but the girls themselves don’t feel safe inside,” the student alleged.Student Vishal Kumar said the situation had been normal until Sunday morning but deteriorated after nightfall.“But as night fell, a large number of people came from outside wearing masks and it turned violent,” Kumar said.“The scenes last night were horrific. We are now going home; that is a safe option,” he added.Another student, Karan, said the situation was peaceful on Monday because of the heavy police presence but alleged that the previous night had been intense.“Everything happened between 10 pm – 12 am. Police reached after 12 am. The situation was so out of control. We were all so scared,” he said.
Police say they used restraint
DGP Yadav said police deliberately avoided using force against students initially and tried to resolve their grievances through dialogue.“The students had some grievances against the university administration and were really upset about a few specific incidents,” he said.“Since there was some provocation, action was taken, and we would use minimum force. A very conscious decision was made not to use force on the students,” Yadav said.He added that police had acted as a bridge between students and the university administration.“The police used a lot of restraint. They’ve always tried to resolve the grievances of the students, who are basically just kids,” he said.At the same time, Yadav said those involved in vandalism would face action.“We will take strict action against anyone who takes the law into their own hands, based on the CCTV footage,” he said.
LPU shuts classes, postpones exams
With the situation escalating, LPU suspended regular classes for 10 days from September 28 and postponed mid-term examinations until further notice.Students were allowed to travel to their hometowns after consulting their parents or guardians.Those staying on campus were advised to remain inside their hostels or places of residence and avoid unnecessary movement or involvement in unrest.The move prompted large numbers of students to leave the university, with parents arriving to take their children home and heavy crowds reported at railway stations in Jalandhar and Phagwara.
What is the situation now?
By Monday, police said the situation had returned to normal and there were no fresh protests on campus.SP (Investigation) Harinder Gill said large-scale police deployment had been made at all gates.“The situation has been peaceful since last night. The University Administration has suspended regular classes for 10 days. So, students have been leaving here since last night,” Gill said.Jalandhar Police Commissioner Satinder Singh also said reports of disturbances inside hostels were rumours and that all hostels had been checked.“First of all, reports of disturbances in the hostels were merely rumours. All hostels have been checked, and there are no issues,” Singh said.NH-44, which had remained blocked for more than 15 hours, was also restored.Police said the investigation into the alleged rape and other claims remains underway. The university has denied that the alleged rape occurred on campus, while police have said the facts are yet to be established.The SIT is expected to examine CCTV footage, forensic material, call records and other evidence before drawing conclusions about the allegations.