Students’ Protest Turns Violent in Punjab; Three Police Vehicles Set Afire

Violent clashes erupted at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara on Sunday evening as angry student protesters pelted stones and set three police SUVs on fire, leaving several officers injured. The violent escalation came in the wake of unverified social media reports alleging that a female student was raped on campus and subsequently died by suicide, triggering widespread unrest, highway blockades, and campus vandalism.

Police forces launched a lathi charge to disperse the agitators after stones and projectiles were hurled at officers. The surge in violence followed earlier demonstrations during which students vandalised university property, smashed window panes, set parts of the campus ablaze, and blocked the busy Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway, throwing regional traffic into complete disarray.

FIR Registered as SIT Probes Rape Allegations

While law enforcement initially stated there was no physical evidence or formal complaint substantiating the sexual assault claims, the police later registered an FIR on rape charges against an unidentified person based on student statements. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the allegations thoroughly.

Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora stated that authorities made consistent efforts to maintain transparency, even sharing relevant CCTV footage and material directly with student representatives. He noted that the situation turned violent after protesters initiated stone-pelting and torched a police vehicle.

For its part, the university management issued a statement urging students not to amplify unverified information circulating online, while student protesters alleged that outside elements had infiltrated the campus to instigate arson and vandalism.

Political Blame Game Erupts Over Campus Unrest

The violent outburst quickly turned into a political flashpoint. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia took to X to condemn the alleged assault while placing the blame squarely on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership.

Majithia alleged that police inaction fuelled the violence, calling it a deliberate conspiracy. He claimed that after LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal left AAP to join the BJP, top AAP leaders sought to settle political scores by allowing the situation at the university to deteriorate.

Key developments in the LPU student violence:

• Vehicles Torched: At least three police SUVs set ablaze during evening clashes.
• Force Employed: Police resorted to lathi charge following stone-pelting and officer injuries.
• Traffic Blocked: Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway choked by student blockades.
• Legal Action: FIR filed on rape charges; Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed.
• High Security: Massive police deployment deployed across Phagwara campus.

Second Major University Unrest in Punjab Within 48 Hours

The violent scenes at LPU mark the second large-scale campus disruption in Punjab within two days. Barely 48 hours earlier, late Friday and early Saturday, hundreds of students staged intense protests at Chitkara University in Rajpura, Patiala district, following unverified social media rumours claiming two female students had gone missing.

The Chitkara University protests similarly degenerated into clashes with law enforcement, resulting in damage to campus infrastructure and the vandalism of two police vehicles. Both incidents highlight how rapidly unverified information circulating on digital platforms can spark large-scale campus volatility and civil disruption across the state.