PHAGWARA, PUNJAB — Lovely Professional University (LPU) has announced the suspension of regular classes for 10 days and postponed its ongoing mid-term examinations until further notice. The decision comes in the wake of massive, violent student protests that erupted on the campus over unverified social media claims regarding an alleged sexual assault.
The unrest initially began late Saturday night when thousands of students gathered near the hostels, triggered by rumors circulating online alleging that a female student had been raped on campus by an outsider. The demonstrations quickly escalated into violence, with protesters vandalizing university property, smashing window panes, setting objects on fire, and briefly blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara national highway.
Local law enforcement agencies, including heavy police deployments and a Special Investigation Team (SIT), rushed to the scene to restore order. Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora and Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla noted that while initial police complaints and student statements led to the registration of an FIR against an unknown person, the situation largely spiraled out of control due to unverified hearsay and widespread social media rumors. Authorities also noted grievances raised by students regarding a separate tragic incident involving a student's death by suicide weeks prior.
Meanwhile, the university administration has vehemently denied the allegations. LPU Registrar Dr. Monica Gulati released a statement condemning the violence, calling the rape allegations entirely "false, baseless, and fabricated". The administration asserted that the circulation of such claims is a deliberate, concerted effort by anti-social elements to malign the institution's reputation and destabilize its academic environment.
With heavy police personnel monitoring the campus and calm gradually being restored, many students opted to leave for their homes. University officials have urged students, parents, and the public to refrain from amplifying unverified reports and to rely solely on official communications as investigations continue.
