Jagran Correspondent, Jalandhar: Police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse protesting students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab's Phagwara on Sunday evening after tensions escalated on the campus over allegations that an outsider raped a female student. The action came amid stone-pelting by protesters, with several police vehicles allegedly set on fire, as the agitation over the alleged incident turned violent.
The situation remains tense after the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway-44 was blocked for nearly 13 hours. Several policemen and media personnel were injured in the stone-pelting, while police vehicles were set on fire, triggering explosions and huge smoke into the air. Police later arrived with tear gas shells to disperse the protesting students.
According to jagran.com, police officials spoke to the students at around 6:30 pm and told them that their demands had been accepted. An SIT has been formed to investigate the matter, including the allegations in the case. So far, the preliminary investigation has not found any evidence supporting the rape allegations. However, the SIT will conduct a detailed investigation into the matter.
( Police arrived with tear gas shells. Photo: Jagran )
In Phagwara, dramatic scenes unfolded on the campus early sunday, where a student climbed atop a decommissioned MiG-23UM aircraft installed on the premises, while a few others mounted a military tank.
Viral videos on social media also showed protesting students purportedly damaging window panes and flower pots on campus and setting some objects on fire, with cries of "we want justice" echoing in the background.
Students Refuse to Accept Police Assurances
Some students opposed the student representatives who had accompanied the police during the discussions and refused to accept the assurances given by the authorities.
At around 7:45 pm, police once again approached the protesting students and explained which of their demands had been accepted, while maintaining that the entire matter was being investigated.
Police said that all the videos had been taken into custody, but the students did not accept this assurance either. Instead, they continued to raise allegations against the police and questioned the university administration.
After discussions continued for a long time and the students refused to disperse, raising slogans, police resorted to a lathi charge.
What led to the protest?
Police said a rape case had been registered against an unknown person based on a complaint by students, and an SIT had been formed to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, the LPU university administration denied claims of any rape incident on campus, calling them "rumour".
The protest began near a girls' hostel on the campus around 1 am on Sunday after some students alleged that a female student staying there had been raped by a plumber three days earlier, reported PTI.
The students also claimed that the hostel warden had been informed about the incident but that no action was taken.
Later, Police registered a case of rape against an unknown person based on the students' complaint.
The management of Lovely Professional University (LPU), however, maintained in a statement that there was no truth in the "rumours". Registrar Monica Gulati said some anti-social elements were spreading "false", "baseless" and "fabricated" allegations.
LPU VC Jaspal Singh said the university doesn't know about any such incident, adding that the authorities will cooperate in the probe.
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LPU authorities claimed that certain anti-social elements were creating unnecessary confusion among students in an attempt to disturb the peaceful academic environment of the university.
The university said it appeared to be a "deliberate and concerted attempt to malign the reputation of the university and tarnish its image".