LPU Protests Turn Violent: What Is the Matter?

The protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, Punjab, began after students circulated allegations that a female student had been sexually assaulted inside a girls’ hostel. Students claimed that an outsider working on campus had entered the hostel and allegedly assaulted the student. Some protesters further claimed that the hostel authorities failed to act after the alleged incident and that the student later died by suicide after returning home. These claims have not been established by the investigation.

The situation escalated when students demanded action and greater security in girls’ hostels. Protests turned violent, with reports of vandalism, arson, clashes with police and a blockade of the Jalandhar–Phagwara section of NH-44.

What does LPU say?

LPU has denied that the alleged sexual-assault incident took place, calling the claims false, baseless and fabricated. The university also released a video featuring three students from the hostel room identified in the allegations, in which they initially said no such incident had occurred.

However, the same students later alleged that they had been instructed on what to say and that their earlier video was edited and posted without their consent. Hindustan Times reported that it could not independently verify those claims.

What happens now?

Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Investigators are examining CCTV footage, forensic evidence and phone/digital data.

Meanwhile, LPU has suspended classes for 10 days from September 28 and postponed mid-term examinations following the unrest.

The central issue remains under investigation: the sexual-assault allegation, the subsequent claims surrounding a student’s death, and the conflicting accounts from the university and students have yet to be conclusively established.