Police file FIR as LPU students block highway over unverified rape report

Students of Lovely Professional University in Phagwara damaged campus property and blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara national highway in the early hours of Sunday. The protest followed unverified reports on social media that a female student had been raped on the campus, according to the Press Trust of India.

Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said the police had no information of any such crime when they reached the campus. "When we reached here, we came to know that there were rumours. Because of the rumours, students gathered here," Toora told reporters.

The police said they received information that students gathered at the LPU campus at 1.45 am and blocked a road. The Tribune reported that the protest began near the girls' hostel and that students from other hostels joined in.

Videos circulating on social media showed students damaging window panes and flower pots and setting some objects on fire. A large crowd moved towards the university's main entrance by 2 am and blocked the highway around 4 am, with protesters raising slogans demanding justice.

The police registered an FIR on charges of rape against unknown suspects on the basis of the students' statement. The victim remained unidentified.

Jalandhar range Deputy Inspector General of Police Naveen Singla said verifications were under way. He said student leaders and the LPU management would meet at 12 pm to resolve the issues raised by the students.

Lovely Professional University denied the allegation. "The University categorically clarifies that there is no truth in the rumours presently being circulated," registrar Monica Gulati said in a statement, asking students and the public not to amplify the rumours.

Toora told media that no complaint had been received and no evidence had been found so far. "So far, we have found no substantiating evidence to corroborate the incident, and no complaint has been received by us," he said, adding that students had caused heavy damage to university property.

The police said an assessment of the damage was being done and that legal action would follow. A heavy police force has been deployed on the campus and on the highway, and the police said the situation was under control.

The unrest at LPU came a day after a protest at Chitkara University in Punjab's Rajpura. The Press Trust of India reported that students there protested over unverified claims that two female students had died by suicide. The Indian Express reported that the claims were of two girls missing.

Students who spoke to the police said their grievances against the university administration were not being addressed properly. Toora said the police had heard the students and were trying to get their issues resolved.

(With inputs from PTI)