LPU protest turns violent, police enter campus as students clash with cops; classes suspended for 10 days, mid-term exams postponed

LPU protest: A confrontation broke out between cops and students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara on Sunday evening amid protests over allegations involving the death of a female student.

The situation escalated around 7.30 pm when bottles were allegedly thrown at police personnel during an interaction with the protesting students. Police subsequently resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

In response, protesters allegedly pelted stones at the police. Three police vehicles were reportedly set on fire during the violence. As the situation remained tense, the police fired tear gas shells around 9 pm to disperse the protesters.

The protests began on Saturday night after messages circulated on social media claiming that a female LPU student had allegedly been raped and subsequently died by suicide. Following the circulation of the claims, thousands of students reportedly gathered and began protesting.



The protesters also allegedly vandalised parts of the campus and set fire to an area inside the university premises. By around 7 am, students moved to the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway and staged a demonstration, disrupting traffic.

Police had initially stated that their investigation had not found any case of rape. However, as tensions escalated, an FIR was registered against an unidentified person in connection with the matter.

Phagwara SP Major Singh, DSP Palwinder Singh and SDM Navjot Sharma remained at the site as police and civil administration officials worked to bring the situation under control.

Protesting students, meanwhile, expressed dissatisfaction with the police investigation and questioned the manner in which the matter was being handled. They continued to demand what they said was a clear and satisfactory explanation from the authorities.

Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said the situation worsened after protesters allegedly began pelting stones at police personnel and set a police jeep on fire.

According to the SSP, the police had taken steps to ensure transparency in the investigation and shared relevant evidence, including CCTV footage, with the students. However, he said, mistrust persisted among some students regarding the university administration.

Toora said the police had attempted to address the concerns raised by the protesters, but efforts to pacify the situation proved difficult.