Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara has suspended regular classes for 10 days and postponed mid-term examinations indefinitely after student protests over claims that a female student was sexually assaulted on campus turned violent on Sunday.
The protests began after students alleged that an outsider had sexually assaulted a female student staying at one of the university’s girls’ hostels. The university has denied that any such incident took place and described the claims as false, baseless and fabricated. Police, meanwhile, have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter.
The situation escalated during the day as hundreds of students gathered on the campus and later blocked a stretch of the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway (NH-44) outside the university. Traffic on the busy Jalandhar-Phagwara route was severely affected.
Police said the situation became violent in the evening when protesters allegedly threw bottles and stones at police personnel and targeted their vehicles. Police responded with a lathi charge, after which protesters moved towards the campus.
Once inside, the protesters allegedly continued pelting stones and damaging property. Two police vehicles were reportedly set on fire, while several police personnel were injured. Four to five police vehicles were also damaged, according to officials.
Additional police forces were deployed from nearby districts to bring the situation under control.
Videos circulating on social media showed damage to shops, window panes, flower pots, vehicles and an ATM kiosk on the campus. Some objects were also seen on fire.
A number of protesters were seen climbing onto a decommissioned MiG-23 aircraft and a military tank installed on the university premises.
The protest reportedly began near Girls’ Hostel-3 during the early hours of Sunday after students began circulating claims that a female student had been sexually assaulted by a plumber several days earlier.
Students also claimed that the hostel warden had been informed but that no action was taken.
They demanded an investigation, justice for the student and stronger security arrangements in the girls’ hostels.
However, the university rejected the allegations.
LPU Registrar Monica Gulati said that certain elements were spreading false and fabricated claims and attempting to disturb the university’s academic environment.
The university also released a video statement featuring three female students staying in Room No. 504 of the hostel. The students said that no such incident had taken place in their room.
Police have nevertheless registered a rape case against an unidentified person based on the complaint made by students.
An SIT has been constituted to establish what happened. Officials said investigators would examine forensic evidence, CCTV footage and call records as part of the probe.
Police officials have said that preliminary checks did not substantiate the allegation at the location identified by the protesting students.
According to police, the three students present in the room where the alleged incident was said to have occurred denied that any sexual assault had taken place. The investigation remains ongoing.
Several rounds of talks between student representatives and the university management failed to resolve the protest immediately.
LPU Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu assured students that their genuine concerns would be addressed.
The protesters, however, demanded that Founder-Chancellor Ashok Mittal visit the protest site and provide assurances regarding their concerns.
Students also demanded that their access to the University Management System not be blocked and that they not face disciplinary action for participating in the protest.
They further raised concerns about security in girls’ hostels and demanded greater accountability from hostel authorities. Police officials said the university would consider the students’ demands, including their request for greater involvement of women staff in the hostel system.
The blockade of NH-44 continued for several hours, resulting in long queues of vehicles and significant disruption to traffic between Jalandhar and Phagwara.
Police diverted traffic towards the Phagwara-Jandiala road and other arterial routes. Several commuters were stranded on the highway, with some appealing to protesters to clear the road.
The situation deteriorated further around 7:30 pm when police attempted to persuade the protesters to end the blockade. Officials said protesters responded by throwing bottles and stones at police personnel, after which police used a lathi-charge.
The subsequent clashes resulted in injuries to several police personnel and damage to police vehicles. Heavy police deployment was subsequently made in and around the university campus.
Following the unrest, LPU announced that regular classes would remain suspended for 10 days from September 28. The university also postponed mid-term examinations until further notice.
Students staying on campus were advised to remain inside their hostels or residences, avoid unnecessary movement and stay away from the unrest. Many students began leaving the campus for their homes on Monday after the suspension was announced.
The university said the decision was taken in view of the prevailing situation and to ensure the safety of students and staff.
DIG (Jalandhar Range) Naveen Singla said an FIR had been registered on the basis of the students’ complaint and that an SIT would investigate the matter.
The investigation team will examine available evidence, including forensic samples, CCTV footage and call records, before reaching a conclusion.
Police officials have also said that a female student from Telangana died by suicide at LPU around 15 days before the latest protest. The DIG said that if students provide information indicating foul play, appropriate action would be taken.
University officials have maintained that they were unaware of any sexual assault on the campus and said the institution would cooperate with the police investigation.
The violence has also triggered a political response in Punjab.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring criticised the state government over the law-and-order situation and said students raising concerns about an incident should receive transparent and time-bound answers.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has directed the state police chief to visit the university and ordered strict action against those responsible for vandalism and arson.
The investigation into the sexual assault claim is continuing. At present, the allegation remains under investigation, while the university continues to deny that the reported incident occurred on its campus.
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