Violent protests erupt at LPU over unverified rape report
What's the story
Students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab staged a massive protest on campus over unverified reports of a female student being raped by a construction worker. The protests turned violent, with students vandalizing property and setting parts of the university building on fire. A group of students also blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara national highway, causing major traffic disruptions.
Protest details
What we know about incident
According to a protesting student, the female student was allegedly raped by a construction worker on campus and was later sent home by college authorities, NDTV reported.
The student's roommate reportedly informed others that she died by suicide.
A video showed the student saying that students initially protested peacefully before some outsiders joined in and vandalized the campus.
Law enforcement response
No report of crime filed yet: Police
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora, confirmed that no official report of such a crime was filed with them.
He said, "We got to know last night that students had blocked the Jalandhar highway. We went there and controlled the situation."
Toora added that he spoke to LPU's student bodies and they are investigating it.
Campus statement
LPU issues statement, urges students to remain indoors
In a statement, LPU advised students to ignore the "rumors."
The university said, "The rumors circulating on social media are false and misleading and circulated by mischievous sources. You are advised not to participate in any unrest, to remain safely inside your hostel/room/residence, and to avoid involvement in any provocative or disruptive activities. Kindly cooperate in maintaining a calm and orderly campus environment."
It urged students to remain indoors and cooperate in maintaining order on campus.