LPU to remain shuts for 10 days amid student protest

  Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed DGP Gaurav Yadav to visit Lovely Professional University and assess violent student protests triggered by unverified allegations involving a female student. Police have formed an SIT, while LPU denied the claims and suspended classes 

Jalandhar: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday directed Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav to visit Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara amid violent student protests that erupted over unverified claims concerning a female student.

CM Mann asked the DGP to personally assess the situation at the university and ensure the matter is investigated thoroughly, according to officials. The directive came two days after protests at the university turned violent, with students allegedly damaging property and setting parts of the campus on fire.

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Protesters had also blocked the Delhi-Amritsar national highway, disrupting traffic for more than 15 hours. However, the police managed to restore traffic on National Highway-44. The university management has ordered a 10-day closure and also postponed exams.

The unrest followed social-media claims that a female student had allegedly been raped and subsequently died by suicide.

LPU has rejected the allegations as false and fabricated, while police have said they were investigating the claims and have registered an FIR based on a statement from protesting students.

Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said a Special Investigating Team (SIT) had been constituted to investigate the matter and that CCTV footage from the hostel was being examined. No person has been named in the FIR so far.

“Students who stay back are advised to stay inside their hostels/places of residence and avoid unnecessary movement or involvement in any unrest activities in the interest of their own safety,” the university said in a statement, adding, “Students are requested to remain calm, follow official instructions, and stay connected for all further updates.”

The police have also launched a wider probe into the sudden unrest at LPU and Chitkara University, where protests had erupted a day earlier. Special DGP (Law and Order) Parveen Kumar Sinha said investigators were examining the reasons behind the incidents and whether there was any link between them.

The state government has directed the police to maintain law and order while ensuring that the allegations surrounding the LPU incident are investigated on the basis of evidence.