Nine arrested over LPU violence, police name 20 accused
Punjab Police have arrested nine people over the violence and vandalism at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara on September 27 and 28. Seven of those arrested are university students, including a juvenile, while two are outsiders, police said on Friday.
Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said the arrests were based on CCTV footage, campus images and other digital evidence. Police have named 20 people in FIR No. 163 and said investigators have identified 40 people linked to the unrest.
The juvenile, an LPU student from Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh, was seen standing on a MiG-23 displayed on the campus during the vandalism. Singla said his precise role and the allegations against him would be determined after the investigation and legal process.
Police identified the two arrested outsiders as Gagandeep Singh and Jasmeet Kumar, both from Phagwara. The six adult students named by police are James Dahiya, Ashutosh, Antriksh Dutta, Sahil Singh, Krishna Kumar and Bhavishya Karan.
A social media influencer and former LPU student, identified by The Tribune as Farhat Dev, has also been named but has not been arrested. Police accused some people of joining peaceful protests during the day before participating in violence at night.
The unrest followed viral posts alleging that a woman student had been sexually assaulted on campus. Police said a separate Special Investigation Team was examining that allegation and tracing the origin of the online posts.
Police said the woman referred to in the original allegation had not been identified as of Friday. An earlier Indian Express report said a student linked to the claim later appeared in a video denying the alleged incident had happened to her.
Four FIRs were registered after the unrest, which included property damage, attacks on police, burning vehicles and a highway blockade. FIR No. 163 includes alleged robbery and damage at Uni Mall, while FIR No. 106 covers attacks and the burning of police vehicles.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court sought a status report from the Punjab government and police on Wednesday. The court asked for details about the alleged sexual assault and the violence, and listed the matter for October 8.
