LPU students go on rampage over 'rape on campus', torch police vehicles; FIR lodged, SIT formed

A student protest outside Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara turned violent on Sunday as protesters clashed with police, pelted stones and set vehicles ablaze, hours after unrest erupted over allegations of sexual assault involving a female student. Several police personnel were reported injured during the confrontation, while three police SUVs were set on fire as tensions escalated around the university.

The latest violence followed hours of protests that began near a girls’ hostel and subsequently spread across the campus and onto the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of National Highway-44. Students damaged university property and blocked the highway while demanding action over allegations circulating about the sexual assault of a student, even as LPU maintained that claims being spread on social media were “false” and “fabricated”.

Protest turns violent

Visuals from outside the university showed protesters confronting police as vehicles burned on the road. Stone-pelting was also reported during the clashes, with police personnel and some protesters sustaining injuries.

A heavy police deployment was made around the university as authorities attempted to bring the situation under control. Earlier, students had blocked the highway outside LPU, leading to major traffic disruption on the busy route.

The unrest had begun in the early hours after allegations of a sexual assault started circulating among students and on social media. Large groups gathered on the campus, raising slogans and demanding clarity from the university administration.

Videos from the campus showed protesters damaging window panes and flower pots and setting objects on fire. Students subsequently moved towards the university gates before the agitation spilled onto the highway.

Police register case

Police initially said the allegations circulating among students were unverified and that they had not received details identifying an alleged victim. As the protests continued, however, police registered a rape case against an unidentified person on the basis of a complaint and constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the allegations.

Officials said the investigation would examine available CCTV footage, phone records and other evidence to establish what had happened. Police have stressed that the allegations remain under investigation and that conclusions should not be drawn before the evidence is examined.

Students have also raised broader concerns about hostel security and the mechanism for addressing complaints on campus. Police officials held discussions with student representatives as they sought to defuse the situation and address their demands.

LPU rejects allegations

The university has rejected the claims circulating on social media and accused what it described as “anti-social elements” of spreading false and misleading information. It urged students and parents not to circulate unverified claims that could create panic and disrupt the academic environment.

LPU officials also disputed claims that a female student had died by suicide in connection with the alleged sexual assault. The university maintained that no such incident had taken place on the campus and said rumours had been amplified through social media.

The competing accounts have remained at the centre of the unrest. While students have demanded an independent investigation into the allegations, the university has insisted that misinformation triggered the protest, leaving police to establish the facts through the newly constituted SIT.

Highway blockade adds pressure

The agitation caused significant disruption after protesters blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, one of Punjab’s important road links. Police initially persuaded students to clear the road, but protesters subsequently gathered again as tensions persisted.

Sunday’s violence marked a sharp escalation from the demonstrations inside the campus, with the burning of police vehicles and injuries to personnel raising concerns over law and order. Additional forces were deployed around LPU as authorities sought to prevent further clashes and restore normal traffic movement.

The immediate focus will now be on the SIT investigation into the allegations that triggered the unrest and the police probe into the violence. Authorities are also expected to examine footage from the campus and surrounding areas to identify those involved in vandalism, stone-pelting and arson.

Meta title: LPU protest turns violent as students clash with police

Meta description: LPU protests turned violent in Phagwara as students clashed with police and vehicles were torched amid sexual assault allegations.