LPU suspends classes for 10 days after violent protests over rape allegation, highway reopens
Chandigarh, Sep 28 (UNI) Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab has suspended regular classes for 10 days and postponed mid-term examinations after protests over an alleged rape on campus turned violent, while traffic resumed on the Delhi-Amritsar national highway following a prolonged blockade.
The university said regular classes would remain suspended for 10 days from Sept. 28 and mid-term examinations scheduled during the period had been postponed until further notice. A revised examination schedule would be communicated separately. Students have been allowed to return home after consulting their parents or guardians. Those choosing to remain on campus have been advised to stay in their hostels or residences and avoid unnecessary movement.
The university said the measures were being taken to ensure the "safety and well-being of all students". Traffic on National Highway 44, a key Delhi-Amritsar road link, also resumed after protesters blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch for several hours, leaving vehicles stranded and causing long queues.
The unrest erupted after claims circulated among students and on social media that a female student had been raped inside a university hostel and that the incident had been suppressed. Police have registered an FIR under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with rape, against an unidentified person on the statement of a female student.
The complaint alleges that a student was raped in a girls' hostel on Sept. 23 and that the matter was concealed. The registration of the FIR does not establish that the alleged assault took place, and police have not announced any finding confirming the allegation . Jalandhar Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Naveen Singla said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted to investigate the allegation and that CCTV footage and other evidence would be examined.
Police also inspected Room 504 of the GH3 girls' hostel, identified in the allegation as the purported location of the incident. Singla said students staying in the room told investigators that they had been living there for about two months and that nothing untoward had so far emerged from checks of the room and adjoining rooms. "We will investigate the matter thoroughly and examine the CCTV footage and all other evidence," Singla said.
The SIT comprises SP (Investigation) Vineet Ahlawat, Phagwara SP Major Singh, CIA Staff Phagwara in-charge Balwinder Singh and Inspector Amanpreet Kaur. Two female and two male student representatives have also been associated with the investigation.
LPU has rejected the allegations circulating about the incident. Registrar Monica Gulati described the claims as "false, baseless and fabricated" and appealed to students not to rely on unverified information. The protests intensified over the weekend as students gathered outside the university and moved onto the national highway.
The confrontation later turned violent, with stone-pelting and vandalism reported and a police vehicle set ablaze. Students accused police of using force to remove protesters from the highway, while police denied allegations of a lathi-charge and said personnel had come under stone-pelting. More than 2,000 police personnel were deployed in and around the campus as authorities moved to restore order.
Police said the situation was under control and the SIT would now seek to establish the facts behind the sexual-assault allegation, while separate investigations were being conducted into the violence, arson and damage to property during the protests.
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