Students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, Punjab, have clashed with police after protests over claims that an outsider raped a female student on the university campus.
Violence broke out again on Sunday evening after protesters allegedly threw stones at police officers and attacked their vehicles, injuring several officers, officials said.
After overnight violent protests on Saturday, Police had been trying to clear students blocking the National Highway 44 (NH-44) outside the campus since 08:00 local time. The situation escalated after some protesters threw water bottles at officers, leading to clashes in which police used batons.
The students then moved towards the campus, where they began throwing stones at police, officials said.
Two police vehicles were set on fire, while journalists and police officers were seen running for cover, according to officials.
The protests followed reports of an alleged rape and suicide. Similar protests had erupted at Chitkara University in Patiala a day earlier.
Jalandhar Rural SSP Harvinder Singh Virk said four to five police vehicles were damaged in the violence. Additional police forces have been called in to bring the situation under control.
The university has suspended classes for 10 days from Monday and postponed midterm examinations until further notice.
Police said a rape case has been registered against an unknown person on a complaint by the students, and an SIT has been formed to investigate the matter, even though the university authority denied claims of any rape incident on campus, calling them “rumours”.
The incident followed a day after a huge protest by students of Chitkara University in Patiala, who allegedly set a police vehicle afire over unverified claims that two female students committed suicide on the campus.
At LPU, dramatic scenes unfolded throughout the day, as a student climbed atop a decommissioned MiG-23UM aircraft installed on campus, while a few others mounted a military tank.
Viral videos on social media also showed the protesting students purportedly damaging window panes and flower pots on campus, even putting some objects on fire, with cries of “we want justice” echoing in the background.
The protesters blocked a stretch of the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway-44 outside the campus, leading to a massive traffic jam, and clashes with police in the evening.
The protest began near Girls' Hostel-3 on the campus around 1 am on Sunday, after some students alleged that a female student staying there was raped by a plumber three days back. They also claimed that the hostel warden was informed about the incident, but no action was taken.
The LPU management, however, maintained in a statement that there was no truth in the “rumours”, with Registrar Monica Gulati saying some anti-social elements were spreading “false, baseless and fabricated” allegations.
The LPU also released a video statement of three female students of Room No. 504 of the hostel, claiming that no rape incident took place, saying they have been staying there for the past two months.
In the videos doing the rounds, some purported protesters with their faces covered with handkerchiefs were seen vandalising shops in the university mall and other properties on campus, while a few others could be seen taking some items from a grocery shop. The videos also showed damaged vehicles and a vandalised ATM kiosk on the campus.
Traffic was diverted from the Phagwara highway stretch to the Phagwara-Jandiala road for the Jalandhar side and via arterial roads as the blockade on NH-44 continued into Sunday evening.
Long queues of vehicles were seen on the national highway, with many stranded commuters arguing with the protesters, some requesting them to lift the blockade so that they could pass.
Several rounds of talks between the protesting students and the LPU management remained inconclusive, even though LPU Vice Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu assured the protesters that their genuine grievances would be resolved.
The protesters insisted that LPU Founder-Chancellor Ashok Mittal, who is also a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, come to the protest site and assure them to resolve their issues.
They also demanded that the University Management System, which grants them access to all varsity activities, not be blocked, and that they are not victimised for the protest.
The situation turned worse around 7.30 pm, when police tried to persuade the protesters to lift the road blockade. Instead, they were met with bottles hurled by the agitators, prompting them to resort to a mild lathi charge that further aggravated the situation.
The angry students pelted stones and attacked police vehicles on the highway, leaving several cops injured, officials said, adding that the protesters also set a couple of vehicles on fire.
Following reports of the rampage, a heavy police force was mobilised from Kapurthala, Jalandhar Rural and Hoshiarpur.
The students claimed that the victim girl, who was staying in Hostel No. 3, returned to her house after no action was taken in the matter, DIG (Jalandhar Range) Naveen Singla, who reached the spot, said.
An FIR has been registered based on the students' statement. A special investigation team (SIT) has also been formed, and a probe will be conducted involving the students' representatives, the DIG said.
“We will analyse forensic samples, CCTV camera footage, call records, etc., before reaching a conclusion,” the officer said.
Replying to a question, the DIG said the girl students are demanding that the entire hostel staff should comprise only women.
“The management will address these demands," he said.
To another question, the DIG said a girl student from Telangana studying at LPU died by suicide 15 days ago.
“If the students say that there was foul play, action will be taken,” he said.
Asked about the students' claim of rape, LPU VC Jaspal Singh said the university doesn't know about any such incident, adding that the authorities will cooperate with the probe.
LPU authorities claimed that certain anti-social elements were creating unnecessary confusion among the students to disturb the peaceful academic environment of the university.
In the statement, the university said it appears to be a “deliberate” and “concerted” attempt to malign the reputation of the university and “tarnish its image”.
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, it said.
The opposition Congress has slammed the AAP government over the law and order situation in Punjab.
“What is happening at LPU is deeply concerning. If students have serious questions or concerns about any incident, they deserve transparent, impartial and time-bound answers, not rumours or suppression. The violence is a testament to the failed law and order situation in Punjab,” state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said.
“NH-44 has been blocked since the morning, yet not a single representative from the AAP government has bothered to meet the students and hear their grievances,” Warring said.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
