A day after protests over allegations of a rape incident at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab turned violent, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav visited the campus on Monday and warned that those involved in vandalism would face strict action. He said police had exercised restraint and used minimal force while dealing with the agitating students.
Referring to the recent student agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Yadav acknowledged the resentment among students and said the police had adopted a constructive approach to address their grievances. However, he cautioned that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
The DGP's visit to the Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara of Punjab's Kapurthala district comes after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asked him to assess the situation.
Speaking to reporters, DGP Gaurav Yadav said police made efforts to get the students' grievances, which they had against the university administration, resolved by facilitating discussion with the private varsity authorities.
"Our officers took a view that we will use minimum force. A very conscious decision was taken not to use force against students," Yadav said.
Since there were grievances against the university administration, efforts were made to sort out those grievances through discussions, he noted.
"With an open mind and with open approach, by talking to students, we were able to solve the issue yesterday," he said.
Referring to the students' claim of the alleged rape incident, Yadav said an FIR has been registered and an SIT has been formed, which will carry out a detailed investigation of the matter.
"Grievances which pertained to the administration, such as the demand for all-female staff at the girls' hostels and some other matters... we acted as a bridge to sort that out," he said.
On the alleged violent turn the protest took on Sunday evening, Yadav called it unfortunate and said some elements tried to disturb atmosphere and police vehicles were pelted with stones.
"Police used a lot of restraint. It was an effort of police personnel (knowing) that the students are like our children and their grievances are resolved. Mostly they relate to the university administration. Meetings were arranged," he said.
Giving a message to those who indulged in vandalism, the DGP said they will face strict action as the CCTV footage is being analysed,
He also asked students not to pay heed to unfounded rumours.
Asked about the possible role of any outsiders -- based on the purported reports of finding walkie talkie sets on the campus -- Yadav said, "My visit is to assess the overall situation, to see sufficient force has been deployed. We will brief you appropriately. Every incident will be looked into in a threadbare manner."
On the SIT probe and the FIR, he said action will be taken as per the law. "No matter howsoever big he may be, law will take its own course," he said.
Asked whether there was any link between the protests at LPU and Chitkara University, he said, "We all saw what happened at Jantar Mantar. There is resentment among the student community. Our approach has been constructive, to take students along to resolve their grievances," he said.
At the same time, for those who take law into their hands, strict action will be taken, he said, adding that police have opted to use restraint and self-control.
The incident at LPU came a day after students of Chitkara University in Patiala held a protest. Students there had also allegedly damaged a police vehicle over unverified claims that two female students allegedly committed suicide on the campus.
LPU students (LPU) on Sunday blocked a stretch of the New Delhi-Amritsar highway outside their campus over claims that an outsider had raped a female student on the university premises. The road has been cleared and traffic restored, officials said on Monday morning.
The protest took an especially violent turn on Sunday evening after the protesting students allegedly pelted police personnel with stones, attacked their vehicles and set some objects on fire. Several cops were injured, officials said.
(With Inputs from PTI)