LPU Violence: Classes Suspended, SIT Probes Rape Allegation After Students Clash With Police
Police said the university administration had denied the allegations of rape on campus, describing them as “rumours”.
By Sakshi
New Delhi, September 29: Students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, Punjab, went on a rampage on campus on Sunday, vandalising property and blocking a major highway over allegations that an outsider had raped a female student on university grounds.
An official said fresh violence broke out on Sunday evening when protesting students stormed police vehicles and pelted stones at officers, injuring several policemen.
Later, a large police force led by ADGP (Additional Director General of Police) M.F. Farooqui entered the LPU campus. Police said the situation was brought under control.
Students Protest on NH-44
The police team visited the university along with Jalandhar Police Commissioner Satinder Singh, DIG (Jalandhar Range) Naveen Singla and Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora.
“Control of the situation has been achieved. NH-44 traffic flow will soon resume,” officials said.
Police were attempting to evict demonstrators who had been blocking NH-44 outside the university since 8 a.m. when several students threw water bottles at them. The protesters also clashed with police, who resorted to a lathi charge, prompting the students to flee back into the campus.
However, once inside, the students began indiscriminately pelting stones at the police, according to officials.
Two police vehicles were also set on fire, while police personnel and journalists were seen fleeing the spot for safety.
Jalandhar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh Virk said the violence damaged four to five police vehicles.
Police said additional forces had been called in to help contain the situation.
University Denies Rape Allegation
LPU has suspended classes for 10 days from Monday due to the unrest, while midterm examinations have been postponed until further notice.
Police said the university administration had denied the allegations of rape on campus, describing them as “rumours”. However, a rape case has been registered against an unidentified person following a complaint by a student, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the matter.
The incident came a day after students of Chitkara University in Patiala staged a major protest, allegedly setting a police vehicle on fire following unsubstantiated allegations that two female students had died by suicide on campus.
Protest Scenes
Dramatic scenes unfolded at LPU throughout the day, with some students climbing onto a military tank and another climbing onto a decommissioned MiG-23UM aircraft stationed on the campus.
Slogans of “we want justice” could be heard in videos that went viral on social media. The footage purportedly showed protesting students smashing window panes and flower pots on campus, with some objects also being set on fire.
Outside the university, protesters blocked a section of the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway-44, causing severe traffic congestion and clashes with police in the evening.
The protest began around 1 a.m. on Sunday in front of Girls’ Hostel-3 on campus after some students alleged that a plumber had raped a female student staying there three days earlier.
They also claimed that the incident had been reported to the hostel warden but that no action was taken.
However, the LPU administration insisted in a statement that the allegations were “rumours”. Registrar Monica Gulati said some anti-social elements were spreading “false, baseless and fabricated” allegations.
LPU also released a video statement featuring three female students from Room No. 504, who claimed that no rape incident had taken place and that they had been living in the hostel for the past two months.
Videos circulating on social media also showed some alleged protesters with handkerchiefs covering their faces vandalising shops at the university mall and other campus property. Some were allegedly seen taking products from a grocery store. A vandalised ATM kiosk and damaged cars on campus were also shown in the videos.
As the blockade of NH-44 continued until Sunday evening, traffic was diverted from the Phagwara highway stretch to the Phagwara-Jandiala route towards Jalandhar and through arterial roads.
Long queues of vehicles formed on the national highway, with several delayed commuters arguing with protesters and asking them to clear the road so they could pass.
Several rounds of talks between the protesting students and LPU management remained inconclusive, although LPU Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu assured the protesters that their genuine grievances would be addressed.
The protesters demanded that LPU Founder-Chancellor Ashok Mittal, who is also a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, visit the protest site and assure them that their concerns would be resolved.
They also demanded that access to the University Management System, which provides students access to various university activities, should not be blocked and that they should not face any action for participating in the protest.
The situation worsened around 7.30 p.m. when police tried to persuade protesters to lift the road blockade. The officers were met with bottles thrown by the protesters, prompting police to resort to a mild lathi charge, which further aggravated the situation.
Angry students then pelted stones at police and attacked police vehicles on the highway, leaving several policemen injured, officials said. The protesters also set a couple of vehicles on fire.
FIR Registered
Following reports of the violence, a heavy police force was mobilised from Kapurthala, Jalandhar Rural and Hoshiarpur.
The students claimed that the girl, who was staying in Hostel No. 3, had returned home after no action was taken on her complaint.
DIG Naveen Singla, who reached the spot, said an FIR had been registered based on the students’ statement. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed, and the probe will involve student representatives, he said.
“We will analyse forensic samples, CCTV camera footage, call records, etc., before reaching a conclusion,” the officer said.
Replying to a question, the DIG said female students were demanding that the entire hostel staff comprise only women.
“The management will address these demands,” he said.
The DIG also said a female student from Telangana studying at LPU had died by suicide 15 days ago.
“If the students say that there was foul play, action will be taken,” he said.
Asked about the students’ rape allegation, LPU Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh said the university was not aware of any such incident and would cooperate with the investigation.
LPU authorities claimed that certain anti-social elements were creating confusion among students in an attempt to disturb the peaceful academic environment of the university.
In its statement, the university said it appeared to be a “deliberate” and “concerted” attempt to malign the university’s reputation and “tarnish its image”.
It urged students, parents and members of the public to rely on information issued through the university’s official channels rather than believing, spreading or amplifying rumours.
Opposition Questions Punjab Government
The AAP government in Punjab has come under criticism from the opposition Congress over the law-and-order situation in the state.
“What is taking place at LPU is quite alarming. Instead of rumours or repression, students should receive clear, unbiased and timely responses if they have genuine questions or concerns about any situation,” Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said.
“The violence is a testament to the failed law-and-order situation in Punjab. Since the morning, NH-44 has been blocked, but not a single AAP government representative has bothered to meet the students and hear their complaints,” Warring said.
(Inputs From PTI)
