- Police investigating violent LPU protest over fake rape rumour.
- CCTV shows eight masked outsiders involved in arson, stone-pelting.
- Authorities trace IP address of fake message, suspecting conspiracy.
Sukrant Safari, Jalandhar: The tense calm prevails in Jalandhar's Lovely Professional University (LPU) after a violent protest over an alleged rape of a girl in a campus hostel. As classes and examinations were suspended, students have left the campus, and police are working to uncover the conspiracy behind the violence.
The claims of rape remain unsubstantiated, and the cops are tracing the root of a fake message that triggered unrest. Forty-eight hours after the protests began at LPU at around 3 AM Saturday, police are still searching for the IP address of the person who incited the students with the fake message.
Meanwhile, preliminary investigations have revealed that some outsiders were involved in the student protest, who, wearing black masks on their faces, engaged in arson and stone-pelting. Police are also working to identify these masked individuals using the CCTV footage.
The investigating teams are currently searching for eight such masked individuals. The police investigation indicates that the incitement of students and subsequent violence at LPU was not a spontaneous act; rather, there is a deeper conspiracy behind it.
The said fake message, reportedly, was used to incite students for the past few days. The same message was sent to university students three to four days before this incident.
Back then, there were no protests or disturbances. The cops are now working to find who incited the students by spreading rumours based on the same message on Saturday night.
Probe hinges on IP address
The police investigation hinges on obtaining the IP address of the person spreading the fake message. Once revealed, the entire conspiracy will unravel how outsiders gained access to the university during the student protests.
Even in the footage the police have obtained of those involved in the arson and vandalism inside the campus, they do not appear to be university students.
These masked individuals also set fire to police vehicles and incited students to pelt stones.
How did the message spread?
The fake message was reportedly first posted on Reddit, from where it spread rapidly. Police are searching for the person who sent it and trying to determine where he received it. The message, too, simply mentioned a student being raped by an employee, and nothing else.
Another important aspect that emerged during the investigation is that the situation was completely normal when students were protesting. However, when some students opened the main gate and students began to leave, the situation rapidly changed.
Upon the students' return, the situation quickly escalated into violence. Police are now compiling a minute-by-minute account of the entire incident, identifying who entered and exited the main gate after it opened.