LPU protest turns violent again as police vehicles burn, SIT takes up rape case

LPU protest: The trouble began late on Saturday after claims about an alleged sexual assault spread among students and on social media.

Fresh violence broke out during protests at Lovely Professional University in Punjab on Sunday, with police vehicles set on fire and personnel injured as students and police clashed outside the campus, HT reported. The confrontation came hours after police registered an FIR over an alleged rape of a student and formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case. 

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What led to the LPU protests?

The trouble began late on Saturday after claims about an alleged sexual assault spread among students and on social media. Around 2,000 students gathered near a girls' hostel, according to reports cited in the initial accounts of the protest. Students later moved across the campus and blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, demanding police action.

The protest turned violent as window panes were smashed, bricks and flower pots were thrown and objects were set on fire. Police later cleared the highway and traffic resumed. Videos from the campus also showed students climbing onto a MiG-23UM aircraft and a military tank kept on display at the university.  

Police register FIR and form SIT

On Sunday, Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said an FIR had been registered (against an unknown person) regarding the alleged incident involving a student of the G-3 hostel and a Special Investigation Team had been set up. The SIT includes Phagwara SP Major Singh, DSP Palwinder Singh, a woman police inspector and student representatives.  

Police have said the investigation will examine digital and technical evidence. Student representatives will also be kept informed during the investigation.  

Fresh clash after talks with students

Police and student representatives held talks on Sunday, with officers sharing details of the FIR and the SIT. The students also sought an assurance from LPU Chancellor and founder Rashmi Mittal, according to the accounts provided.

The situation later turned violent again. Police personnel were injured and police vehicles were damaged during the confrontation. Reports said protesters threw objects at police, who used force to disperse the crowd. The final number of injured personnel and the full extent of the damage were not immediately available.

Earlier student death also under probe

Students also sought a fresh investigation into the death by suicide of a Telangana student on the campus about a fortnight ago. Police had earlier started inquest proceedings after recording statements from the student's family. Singla said police had now started another probe following the students' demand.

LPU has rejected claims circulating online that linked the alleged rape with a suicide. Registrar Monica Gulati called the rumours "false, baseless and fabricated" and said "anti-social elements" were spreading misleading information. The university asked students and parents to depend on official information.  

The unrest at LPU came a day after protests at Chitkara University near Rajpura over separate claims circulating online. Punjab Police are examining the two episodes. Special DGP Parveen Kumar Sinha told The Tribune that police were looking into the reasons behind both incidents and whether they were connected.

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