LPU violence snowballs into political row, opposition attacks AAP over law and order
Violence at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara following an unverified allegation of sexual assault on a woman student snowballed into a political controversy on Monday, with opposition parties attacking Punjab's AAP government over law and order and questioning the police response.
The BJP alleged that the unrest was linked to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally scheduled in Jalandhar on September 30 and accused the Bhagwant Mann government of allowing violence to escalate at the university.
Shah is scheduled to address the rally marking the culmination of the BJP's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra'.
The protests erupted after allegations circulated among students that a woman had been raped on the LPU campus. Students allegedly vandalised property and blocked a stretch of the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway during the unrest.
Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the allegations. LPU, however, has denied that the alleged incident took place on its campus and described the claims as false and baseless.
A fresh wave of violence broke out on Sunday evening when protesting students allegedly pelted stones at police personnel and attacked their vehicles, leaving several people, including policemen, injured, officials said. A police vehicle was also set on fire during the clashes, according to reports.
The situation remained peaceful on the LPU campus on Monday, with security personnel deployed across the university. Classes were suspended for 10 days from Monday and mid-term examinations postponed, according to reports.
BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu accused the AAP government of allowing the violence to take place ahead of Shah's rally.
Bittu alleged that the Mann government was "allowing riots" in Jalandhar to disturb the BJP event and claimed that police had adopted a "lax" approach towards those involved in arson and vandalism.
In a post on X, Bittu alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and party leader Manish Sisodia had sent miscreants to LPU to settle scores.
"@BhagwantMann, @ArvindKejriwal and @msisodia allegedly sent miscreants to LPU just to settle scores! After Sh. Ashok Mittal left AAP, the party allegedly hatched a sinister plan to force LPU to shut down," he alleged.
Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, who recently quit the AAP and joined the BJP, is the founder chancellor of LPU.
Bittu also alleged that the AAP was "rattled" by the support for the BJP's anti-drug campaign and claimed the government knew that the September 30 rally would draw a large crowd.
He said the central government was monitoring the situation closely.
"Only a few months remain. The government is set to change, and officials will have to be held accountable," Bittu said.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also criticised the state government, describing the situation at LPU as "deeply concerning".
Warring alleged that the Mann government was "fast asleep" and said students deserved safety, support and clear answers.
He said students from other states had been sent back to their homes because they were away from their families and parents.
"At a time when students are looking for safety, support and answers, the Congress stands firmly with them. For us, the safety and well-being of every student comes first," Warring said.
He said any student with concerns about an incident deserved "transparent, impartial and time-bound answers" rather than rumours or suppression.
"The violence (at LPU) is a testament to the failed law and order situation in Punjab," Warring said.
Senior Akali leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal condemned what she described as a police "lathicharge" on protesting students.
In a post on X, Badal alleged that students, particularly women, were "brutally hit, dragged, abused" and pushed to the ground, while questioning the police description of the action as "mild".
She said the university hosted students from across the country and abroad and alleged that the incident had damaged its reputation while raising questions over law and order in Punjab.
BJP leader Pritpal Singh Balliawal also described the violence as a "serious law and order failure".
He alleged that reports of outsiders entering the campus with weapons or communication equipment raised questions about who they were and what their purpose was.
"There are also questions being raised about whether the unrest was deliberately provoked and whether it has any connection with the September 30 programme of Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji. These claims must be independently investigated, not ignored," he said.
The political allegations come amid an ongoing police investigation into the original sexual assault claim. Police have said the facts are being verified, while the university has rejected the allegation.
The LPU unrest also came a day after protests at Chitkara University in Patiala, where students allegedly set a police vehicle on fire over unverified claims concerning two female students. Police are separately probing the incident and whether there is any connection between the two episodes.
