Phagwara: Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara witnessed intense student protests, clashes and damage to property over the weekend following claims of an alleged sexual assault involving a female student on campus. The situation escalated on Sunday, September 27, with students blocking a stretch of NH-44, vandalising property and clashing with police.
The allegation remains under investigation and has not been established by police. LPU has denied that the alleged sexual assault took place, describing the claims as false and fabricated. Police, meanwhile, have registered a rape case against an unidentified person and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the complaint.
The unrest has since prompted the university to suspend regular classes for 10 days from September 28 and postpone its mid-term examinations until further notice. Students have also been permitted to travel to their hometowns during the suspension period after consulting their parents or guardians.
How did the LPU protest begin?
The protests began after claims of an alleged sexual assault at Girls’ Hostel-3 (GH3) circulated among students. According to the allegations being investigated, an outsider or worker had entered a female student’s room and sexually assaulted her.
Students also raised questions about whether hostel authorities had been informed and whether adequate action was taken after the alleged incident.
The claims spread rapidly across the campus, prompting students to gather near the girls’ hostel and subsequently move towards the university’s main gate. By the early hours of Sunday, the protest had expanded significantly, with students also blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of NH-44.
At the initial stage, police said they had not received a formal complaint and that preliminary checks had not established evidence confirming the alleged incident at the location identified by students.
Later, after a complaint was received, police registered a rape case against an unidentified person and constituted an SIT to investigate the matter. The investigation is expected to examine available CCTV footage, forensic material, phone and digital data and statements from people connected with the case.
What exactly are students alleging?
The allegations centre on a female student who students claimed was sexually assaulted inside a girls’ hostel. The alleged accused has been described by protesters as an outsider or worker on the university campus.
The identity of the alleged student has not been publicly disclosed. Police have not established the circumstances of the allegation and are continuing to investigate.
Police officials have said the probe will examine technical and forensic evidence before determining what happened. The SIT has been tasked with investigating the complaint and examining the claims raised during the protests.
The distinction between an allegation and an established fact remains important in the case. While students protested over the reported assault, neither the identity of an alleged victim nor the circumstances of the alleged crime have been publicly established by investigators.
Why did police register an FIR?
The police initially indicated that they had not found evidence substantiating the allegation at the location identified by students. However, following the receipt of a complaint, a rape case was registered against an unidentified person.
An SIT was subsequently formed to investigate the complaint. The investigation is expected to rely on multiple sources of evidence rather than social media claims or accounts circulating among students.
According to reports, the SIT includes senior police officers, a woman police officer and representatives of protesting students. DIG Jalandhar Range Naveen Singla said digital and technical evidence would also be examined as part of the investigation.
The registration of an FIR does not by itself establish that the alleged offence occurred or establish the guilt of any person. Those questions remain subject to the police investigation and any subsequent legal proceedings.
What does Lovely Professional University say?
LPU has strongly denied the sexual-assault allegation. The university described the reports circulating on social media and other channels as “false” and “fabricated” and said it was cooperating with the police investigation.
The university also released a video featuring three female students who were presented as residents of the room where the alleged incident was said to have taken place. In the video, the students said that no such incident had occurred in their room.
However, a further development emerged on September 28. Three students who appeared in the university’s clarification video subsequently alleged that they had been instructed about what to say and claimed that the video had been edited and shared without their consent. Those claims are also allegations and have not been independently established.
The competing accounts have added another layer to a case that is already being investigated by the police.
Why were classes suspended?
Amid the continuing unrest, LPU announced that regular classes would remain suspended for 10 days starting September 28.
The university also postponed its mid-term examinations until further notice. A revised examination schedule is expected to be communicated to students through the University Management System.
Students have been allowed to travel to their hometowns during the 10-day period after consulting their parents or guardians. Those remaining on campus have been advised to stay in their hostels or residences, avoid unnecessary movement and keep away from activities connected with the unrest.
The measures came as students began leaving the campus following the suspension of classes and postponement of examinations.
How did the protest turn violent?
What began as a protest over the sexual-assault allegation escalated into violence during Sunday.
Students were reported to have damaged university property and shops, while some objects and vehicles were set on fire. Protesters also climbed onto a decommissioned MiG aircraft displayed on the campus.
The Jalandhar-Phagwara highway was blocked for several hours, disrupting traffic along the important route. According to police accounts, the situation became more tense when protesters allegedly threw stones at police personnel and attacked police vehicles.
Police subsequently used force to clear the highway. Several police personnel were injured and vehicles were damaged during the clashes.
The highway blockade continued for more than 15 hours before traffic movement was restored. Police said the situation had come under control by Monday, September 28, although security personnel remained deployed around the university.
What are the students demanding?
The protests have also raised broader concerns about security arrangements in LPU’s girls’ hostels.
Students have questioned how male workers or outsiders could access areas housing female students and have sought greater accountability from university authorities if any lapse in security or administration is established.
Among the concerns raised by protesters are stronger security measures in hostels, accountability of officials responsible for student safety and action against authorities if negligence is found.
Some students have also demanded action involving hostel officials and sought assurances that students participating in protests would not face reprisals.
Several rounds of discussions between students and university management were held during the unrest, but the protests continued as the situation escalated.
Earlier student death also becomes part of the discussion
The protests have also brought renewed attention to the death of another LPU student earlier in September.
On September 10, 21-year-old Laxmi Chandra, a BTech Agriculture student from Telangana, allegedly died by suicide after falling from the seventh floor of a girls’ hostel at the university.
Students raised questions about the death during the latest protests. Police have said the circumstances surrounding that incident are being investigated separately and should not be conflated with the current sexual-assault complaint.
The university and police are therefore dealing with separate matters even as students have raised both during the unrest.
What happens next?
The immediate focus is now on the police investigation into the sexual-assault complaint. The SIT will examine CCTV recordings, forensic material, digital and phone data and statements from relevant people before reaching conclusions about the allegation.
At the same time, LPU has suspended classes for 10 days and postponed examinations, while police have maintained a presence around the campus following the violence.
The developments at LPU highlight the difficulty of establishing facts when serious allegations spread rapidly through social media before investigators complete their inquiry. At present, the alleged sexual assault remains an allegation under investigation, while the university continues to deny that the reported incident occurred.
The police probe and any subsequent legal proceedings will determine the facts of the complaint. Until then, claims made by protesters, the university and other individuals involved in the controversy need to be treated separately from findings established by investigators.