Phagwara: Students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara staged a violent protest early Sunday after claims of an alleged sexual assault on a girl student spread through social media groups. The protesters alleged that an “outsider working as a plumber” had entered a girl student’s room in a hostel and sexually assaulted her three days earlier. They also alleged that the hostel warden had failed to take action after the matter was reported.
The university denied the allegation, describing it as “false and fabricated”.
Following the violence, LPU suspended classes for 10 days from September 28. Mid-term examinations have also been postponed until further notice. The university advised students staying on campus to remain inside their hostels or places of residence, avoid unnecessary movement and stay away from the ongoing unrest.
Police register FIR, form SIT
Senior police officers said an FIR had been registered against an unidentified person on charges of rape. However, preliminary investigation at the location cited by the protesters did not substantiate the allegation.
An officer said three girls who were present in the hostel room where the alleged incident was said to have occurred denied that any such incident had taken place. Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP (Phagwara) Major Singh. The team includes a DSP, a woman police inspector and student representatives.
DIG (Jalandhar Range) Naveen Singla said the investigation would include forensic examination, CCTV footage and phone data. “The matter will be investigated scientifically,” Singla said, adding that the police had asked student representatives to participate in the investigation.
Protesters damage property, block highway
The unrest began around 2 am after claims about the alleged sexual assault were circulated among students. Students gathered near the hostel and later moved towards the university’s main entrance. The protest escalated as campus property was damaged and furniture, motorcycles and ambulances were set on fire.
Several shops in the university mall were also damaged. A protesting student climbed onto a decommissioned MiG-23UM aircraft installed on the campus, while some others mounted a decommissioned military tank near the gate. Around 4 am, protesters blocked a section of the Delhi-Amritsar NH-44 outside the university, resulting in a traffic jam.
Police later cleared the highway and resorted to a lathicharge at one point after protesters allegedly pelted stones and targeted police vehicles. Students initially said they would end the protest after an FIR was registered. However, several rounds of talks with the LPU management remained inconclusive. Vice Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu assured students that their grievances would be addressed.
Students put forward several demands
The protesters demanded that LPU Founder-Chancellor Ashok Mittal, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP who switched from the AAP in April, visit the protest site and assure them that their concerns would be resolved.
They also sought an apology from the Pro-Vice Chancellor, justice for the alleged victim and action against anyone found responsible. Students demanded that their access to the University Management System not be blocked and that they not face any action for participating in the protest.
Other demands included stronger security in girls’ hostels, no deployment of male staff in areas where girl students reside, greater accountability of hostel officials and action against university officials if negligence is established. Some protesters also sought the resignation of the hostel warden. LPU has more than 35,000 students from India and abroad.
University denies allegation
Vice Chancellor Sandhu said the university was cooperating fully with the police investigation. He said no such incident had come to his notice so far and that the university would provide CCTV footage and any other material sought by the police. An LPU spokesperson described the sexual assault allegation as “false and fabricated” and said it appeared to be a “deliberate and concerted attempt” to damage the university’s reputation.
Registrar Dr Monica Gulati said “anti-social elements and others were creating the problem” and appealed to students, parents and the public not to circulate unverified information. The university also released a video statement purportedly featuring three students from the room where the alleged incident was said to have occurred. They said they had been staying there for two months and that no such incident had taken place.
Police also examine another student’s death
DIG Singla said police were also examining the circumstances surrounding the death of another LPU woman student from Telangana, who allegedly died by suicide around 15 days ago. He said the student’s mobile phone had been seized and sent for forensic examination. If any foul play emerges, required legal action would be taken.
The unrest at LPU came barely 24 hours after a protest at Chitkara University in Patiala, around 140 km away, where students allegedly set a police vehicle on fire following unverified claims of hearing girls’ screams from a hostel.
