After a long night of violence and arson at Lovely Professional University in Punjab’s Phagwara, the biggest question that still remains unanswered is what triggered the student protests in the first place.
Here is all we know about the LPU protests and how the situation spiralled.
It All Started With A Rape Claim
The unrest reportedly began near Girls’ Hostel-3 in the early hours of Sunday after students started discussing claims that a female student had allegedly been sexually assaulted on campus by an outsider or a university worker. Some students also claimed that the incident had occurred several days earlier and that the matter was not properly addressed by the university.
The claims spread rapidly through student groups and social media. According to reports, students alleged that the girl had subsequently been sent home and that her roommate later told others that she had died by suicide.
These claims were not initially confirmed by police. The university, too, rejected the allegations, calling them false, baseless and fabricated rumours.
However, police subsequently registered a rape case against an unidentified person based on a complaint and formed a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegation. The registration of the case has become an important part of the controversy because the university’s version and the allegations circulating among students have differed sharply.
Students Hold Protest Over Alleged Inaction By University
For many students, the immediate issue was not only the alleged sexual assault but what they perceived as a lack of clarity from the administration.
Students gathered in large numbers, initially around the girls’ hostel, before the protest spread across the campus. The agitation later moved outside the university, with protesters blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of NH-44.
Students Say Situation Changed After ‘Outsiders’ Entered Campus
Some students have alleged that the situation changed after some outsiders entered the campus.
Student accounts shared with the media claim that “goons” entered the university, leading to clashes and vandalism.
Some students also alleged that men entered the girls’ hostel and that students were forced to lock themselves inside rooms for safety.
These claims are part of the competing accounts of the violence and have not been independently established in their entirety.
What The Police Said
Police say the situation escalated significantly on Sunday, with protesters damaging property, pelting stones and attacking police vehicles. Vehicles were reportedly set on fire and parts of the campus were vandalised.
More than 2,000 police personnel were deployed as authorities moved to regain control of the campus. ADGP MF Farooqui said law and order had been restored and that security would remain in place. Police also said reports of disturbances inside hostels were being checked and that students were safe.
The police have not publicly established the allegations being circulated by some political leaders that armed outsiders were deliberately brought into the university.
BJP, SAD Allege ‘Outsiders’ Were Behind Violence
Punjab BJP spokesperson and media co-in-charge Pritpal Singh Baliawal shared screenshots purportedly from student groups in which students alleged that outsiders carrying weapons and communication equipment had entered the campus.
Baliawal alleged that “goons” came from outside the university and created havoc. He also questioned whether the unrest was deliberately provoked and raised the possibility of a connection with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s September 30 programme. He called for an independent investigation into these claims.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal went further, alleging that outsiders carrying weapons and walkie-talkies were apprehended by students.
He claimed their presence pointed to a “larger conspiracy” and questioned whether FIRs had been registered following their alleged arrest.
What LPU Said
LPU has maintained that the rape allegations circulating before the violence were false and misleading. The university also released a video featuring three female students from the hostel who said no such incident had taken place.
The students, however, later alleged that their consent had not been taken for the recording and questioned the manner in which the video was presented.
The administration has since focused on restoring normalcy and ensuring student safety.
Following the violence, LPU suspended regular classes for 10 days from September 28 and postponed mid-term examinations indefinitely. Students were allowed to return home, while those staying on campus were advised to remain inside their hostels or residences.
Mann Orders Action As Political Row Grows
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered the “strictest action” against those found guilty and directed DGP Gaurav Yadav to visit the campus and assess the situation.
But the police response has itself become a political issue. SAD leader Bikram Majithia accused the Mann government of allowing the situation to deteriorate before using force against students. Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged that students, including girls, were dragged and beaten during the police action, citing videos circulating online.
As of Monday, police said the campus was peaceful, with heavy deployment at all gates. Students were leaving for their homes after the university’s 10-day suspension.
The central question however remains twofold: what actually happened to the female student whose alleged assault triggered the protests, and who turned a student protest into the violence that followed?