Chitkara University protest: Students clash with police over unverified claims of two girls’ suicide
A protest erupted at Chitkara University near Rajpura in Patiala district on Friday night after unverified claims circulated that two female students had died by suicide on the campus. Some protesting students allegedly damaged a Punjab Police patrol vehicle, prompting police to begin an inquiry into the allegations.
The university administration has denied that any suicide took place on campus and urged students not to believe or circulate unverified information. It said local authorities and police were working with the university to examine the claims.
The protest followed reports circulating among students that two female students were missing and that screams had allegedly been heard from a girls' hostel. However, Banur DSP Sukhdev Singh said students who approached police could not identify the alleged missing students or provide their names.
“We have received a complaint from students. We will investigate it,” the DSP said, adding that police would verify whether any student had actually gone missing and take necessary action if required.
Registrar Col Rakesh Sharma (Retd) also addressed the protesting students and categorically denied that any such incident had occurred at the university.
Following the unrest, DSP Sukhdev Singh, Rajpura SHO Gursewak Singh and Rajpura Sadar SHO Kirpal Mohi reached the campus and assessed the situation. Videos showing damage to a police vehicle also surfaced on social media.
In a social media statement, the university said it was committed to maintaining a safe environment for students and asked them to rely only on official communication. It also said academic and placement activities would continue according to the schedule announced for Saturday, September 26.
Fresh reports on Saturday continued to describe the claims as unverified, while social media platforms saw multiple conflicting versions of what allegedly happened inside the hostel. These accounts have not been independently verified and should not be treated as established facts.
with inputs from PTI