A protest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab's Phagwara turned violent early Sunday after unverified claims circulated among students that a female student had allegedly been raped and later died by suicide.
Students began protesting late on Saturday night, with the demonstrations continuing into Sunday morning. Videos from the campus showed students raising slogans and demanding justice before parts of the protest escalated into vandalism and arson. Window panes and flower pots were damaged, while some objects and parts of university property were set on fire.
A group of protesters also blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara national highway, leading to significant disruption to traffic. Police reached the spot and intervened to bring the situation under control.
Police say no rape complaint has been received
Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said police had no information about any rape incident at the university.
"We got to know last night that students had blocked the Jalandhar highway. We went there and controlled the situation. We got to know then that the students flagged some issues with the LPU administration and that there were rumours of a rape case. Nothing about such a crime was reported to us," Toora said.
He said he had spoken to LPU's student bodies and that the matter was being looked into. According to Toora, there appeared to be a misunderstanding between the university and students, and officials would try to facilitate a meeting between the two sides.
Police are also assessing the damage to university property, after which necessary legal action will be taken, he said.
Local reports published on Sunday similarly said police had not received a complaint and that students protesting at the site were unable to provide officials with details of the alleged victim.
Student describes how protest escalated
One protesting student alleged in a video that a female student had been raped by a construction worker on campus. The student claimed that university authorities subsequently sent the woman home and that her roommate later informed other students that she had died by suicide.
The student said the demonstration had initially remained peaceful. According to the account, the situation deteriorated after the university gates were opened and people who were not students entered the campus.
"They vandalised the campus. But despite this, the authorities sent a message that everything was a rumour," the student said.
These allegations have not been independently established. Other reports have also described the claims circulating among students as unverified, while police have said no such crime was reported to them.
Social media discussions among students have contained differing versions of the alleged incident, further highlighting the lack of an independently verified account of what happened to the student.
University urges students to ignore rumours
LPU issued a message to students asking them not to participate in the unrest and to remain inside their hostels, rooms or residences.
"The rumours circulating on social media are false and misleading and circulated by mischievous sources," the university said, advising students to avoid provocative or disruptive activities and cooperate in maintaining a calm and orderly campus environment.
The university also assured students that they were "safe and secure" on campus.
The incident comes amid heightened attention on reports and claims circulating on social media, with police continuing to examine the circumstances behind the protests and the allegations that triggered them.
For now, police and university authorities have not confirmed either the alleged rape or the reported suicide.