LPU Protest Turns Violent Over Unverified Rape Report; Students Vandalise Campus, Block Highway

New Delhi: A protest by students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab turned violent on Sunday after an unverified social media report alleged that a female student had been raped on the university campus.

The protest, which reportedly began near the girls’ hostel, escalated as students from different hostels joined the demonstration. A large number of students later moved towards the university’s main entrance, where the situation turned tense.

According to reports, the allegations circulating on social media claimed that the female student had allegedly been raped by an outsider. Other versions of the posts reportedly linked the incident to claims that a student had died by suicide. However, police said they had not received any complaint confirming the alleged rape or suicide.

The protesters damaged property inside the LPU campus and set some objects on fire. Students also reportedly smashed window panes and damaged other university infrastructure during the unrest.

The protest also spilled outside the university premises, with students blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway. Traffic movement was affected as the demonstrators gathered on the road. Police subsequently intervened to clear the highway and bring the situation under control.

Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said police had found no evidence to substantiate the claims of rape or suicide and that no complaint had been received in connection with the allegations.

“Some students claimed a girl student died by suicide, while some claimed that the student was raped. This has led to unrest among students against the LPU administration,” Toora said, according to India Today. He added that police had so far found no evidence corroborating the claims.

The SSP also said the protest had resulted in extensive damage to university property, including rioting and vandalism. He said the students had also laid siege to the National Highway.

According to reports, police had not confirmed any rape complaint linked to the allegations at the time of its report.

The unrest comes a day after a separate protest at Chitkara University near Rajpura over unverified social media claims concerning female students. Police and university authorities in that case had also denied the allegations.

Police and university authorities are continuing efforts to resolve the situation and defuse tensions on the LPU campus. The university administration had not publicly confirmed the alleged incident at the time of the reports.

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