Second Punjab varsity hit by ‘rape-suicide’ protests; buildings set ablaze, Delhi-Amritsar highway blocked

Violent protests broke out at Punjab’s Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar late on Saturday after unverified reports of a rape and suicide circulated on social media, a day after similar claims rocked the campus of Chitkara University in Patiala.

At LPU, protesting students damaged property, smashed window panes and set parts of buildings inside the campus on fire. The also blocked the Delhi-Amritsar national highway outside the university around 4am, demanding registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the alleged accused.

The varsity, however, dismissed the rape-suicide claim, and accused “anti-social elements” of “creating unnecessary confusion among students and attempting to disturb the peaceful academic environment of the University”.

Police deployed from 3 districts

Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora said police from Jalandhar Rural, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala were called to the campus after the control room received information about a law-and-order situation at around 2am.

He said the students went on a rampage and damaged university property, and added that action would be initiated after an assessment of the damage.

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“The situation is under the control as we have resumed the vehicular traffic on the national highway. The students have some issues with the varsity administration for which the police and civil administration have initiated communication with the management,” SSP Toora said.

“The necessary action will be taken after the damage assessment,” SSP said.

According to Toora, the protests were triggered by rumours alleging that a female student was raped and that she later died by suicide. He said the Kapurthala police had not received any complaint related to such an incident in recent days.

“The students complained that their repeated request for detailed investigations into these reports went unheard at the varsity level,” he said.

University calls reports ‘false, baseless’

LPU denied the report, calling them false and fabricated.

"Certain anti-social elements are spreading completely false, baseless and fabricated rumours through social media and other channels, thereby creating unnecessary confusion among students and attempting to disturb the peaceful academic environment of the University,” Monica Gulati, registrar, Lovely Professional University, said in a statement.

The university said the circulation of the claims appeared to be a deliberate attempt to damage its reputation.

The university further urged students, parents and the public not to circulate the claims and instead rely on official communications.

“The University categorically clarifies that there is no truth in the rumours presently being circulated. Students, parents and members of the public are requested not to believe, circulate or amplify such rumours. They should rely upon information communicated through official channels of the University only,” the statement added.

Fake social media rumours spark unrest at Chitkara University

On Friday night, unverified social media claims that two female students had died by suicide on campus triggered massive protests and clashes at Chitkara University near Rajpura in Patiala.

The unrest erupted after posts alleging that two freshers had died by suicide in a campus hostel surfaced across platforms. The claims gained traction after students claimed to have reportedly heard screams and spotted two ambulances on the premises on the night of September 24.

Patiala senior superintendent of police Harmandeep Singh Hans said no suicides or deaths were reported on the campus either by the students or their families.

Chitkara University also denied the social media report and said they had no factual basis.