Rape claim, university denial, then arson: What we know about Punjab’s LPU protest

The Lovely Professional University, situated in Phagwara of Punjab’s Kapurthala district, simmered over the weekend as students protested over allegations of a student being raped at the university premises and later dying by suicide.Smoke billows from a fire during a protest by students at the Lovely Professional University (LPU) campus, in Phagwara, Punjab, early Sunday. Students went on a rampage on the campus early Sunday, damaging property and blocking a national highway over claims that an outsider raped a female student on the university premises. (PTI)The protests turned violent on Sunday, even as the university denied the reports of rape and suicide, and the Punjab police initiated an investigation.Several political leaders have also waded into developments at LPU, owned by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, with the upcoming Punjab assembly elections in mind.Also Read | Blasts heard inside campus, police SUVs set on fire by mob: Why Punjab's LPU is growing tenseHere is what we know so farThe LPU violence in Punjab: What we knowStudent protest turns violent: Students at the Lovely Professional University resorted to vandalism early Sunday to protest over unverified reports of a student being raped at the university premises, who later died by suicide. The protests, which began on Saturday, turned violent on Sunday after protestors pelted stones at police and attacked their vehicles, leaving several cops injured.Rape case registered: Following an overnight protest, which involved students ransacking the campus, setting parts of buildings on fire and blocking a stretch of the Delhi-Amritsar national highway, police said a rape case has been registered against an unknown person, and a seven-member special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the matterPolice use force: The situation went out of control on Sunday evening after talks between the protesting students and the administration failed, as the police kept on asking the students to clear the national highway. Instead, the cops were met with bottles hurled by the agitators, prompting them to resort to a mild lathi charge that further aggravated the situation, setting ablaze three SUVs, six motorbikes, and damaging police vehicles. Meanwhile, the blockade on the highway continued.The complaint: According to a complaint by students, a construction worker sexually assaulted a female student in the university hostel. DIG Jalandhar Range Naveen Singla cited the claims made by students and said the incident happened three days ago, while the hostel warden allegedly forced the victim to leave for her home instead of informing the incident to the police, following which the student died by suicide at her home.“We have also included five representatives of the protesting students in the probe team. The matter will be thoroughly investigated as all the digital and technical evidence will be taken on record,” Singla said.LPU dismisses claims: However, there was no clarity regarding the victim's identification. The university, 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”.“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, LPU, said in a statement.The university also released a video of three girl students, who claimed to be inhabitants of a hostel room in which the protesting students alleged the sexual assault incident happened. “The girls claimed that no such incident happened in their room situated on the fifth floor. The girls claimed that they had been subjected to mental trauma ever since the number of their hotel room came out in public,” the video stated.LPU vice-chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu said no report or complaint on the sexual assault had come to his notice till Sunday morning.LPU suspends classes, postpones mid-semester exams: LPU has postponed its mid-term examinations until further notice to ensure the safety and well-being of all students amid ongoing violent protests over an alleged rape-suicide case. The university has also suspended regular classes for 10 days starting September 28, it said in a release.“Regular classes will remain suspended for a period of 10 days with effect from September 28, 2026 (Monday). Mid-Term Examinations are postponed until further notice. The revised examination schedule will be communicated separately via UMS.“Students may, in consultation with their parents/guardians, travel to their hometowns during this 10-day period, if they wish to do so. Students who stay back are advised to remain inside their hostels/places of residence and avoid unnecessary movement or involvement in any unrest activities in the interest of their own safety,” LPU said in the press release.Also Read | Second Punjab varsity hit by ‘rape-suicide’ protests; buildings set ablaze, Delhi-Amritsar highway blockedPoliticians wade inSeveral politicians in Punjab have waded into the controversy surrounding the LPU. State Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring called the incidents at LPU “deeply concerning.“If students have serious questions or concerns about any incident, they deserve transparent, impartial and time-bound answers, not rumours or suppression. Recent violence is a testament to the failed law and order situation in Punjab,” he wrote on X.“NH-44 has been blocked since morning, yet not a single representative from the @AAPPunjab Govt has bothered to meet the students and hear their grievances. The voice of Gen Z cannot be silenced! @BhagwantMann, wake up and take action before the situation spirals further out of control,” Warring added.BJP leader and former union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu claimed that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party was “badly rattled by the resounding enthusiasm and overwhelming support that Punjabis are extending to the BJP's 'Drug-Free Punjab Journey.'”“The alleged conspiracy at LPU was orchestrated solely to divert people's attention from the controversy over government bungalows allotted to Delhi leaders and the Gayatri Bishnoi dispute. The police deliberately showed lax performance, which gave miscreants free rein to commit arson and vandalism, resulting in injuries to police personnel and students. To settle political scores, Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal, and Manish Sisodia allegedly sent miscreants inside LPU. After Shri Ashok Mittal left 'AAP,' the party hatched a despicable conspiracy to forcibly shut down the university," he further claimed.