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Chandigarh, September 27
The situation at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab turned violent late on Sunday after students protesting over allegations of sexual assault clashed with the police. The police vehicles were allegedly attacked by the protesters, stones were pelted at officers, while some cars were set on fire during the unrest. The Jalandhar-Phagwara highway was also blocked, prompting police to use a lathi-charge to disperse the protesters.
The situation at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab turned violent late on Saturday as students protesting over sexual assault allegations clashed with the police. The protesters allegedly attacked the police vehicles and pelted officers with stones, while some cars were set on fire. The Jalandhar-Phagwara highway was also blocked, prompting police to use a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
The students have been protesting on the university campus since late Saturday night after videos and posts circulated on social media alleging that a female student had been raped.
According to reports, police have registered two FIRs, one relating to the alleged sexual assault and another concerning the violence during the protest.
The social media posts have claimed that the student was sexually assaulted in the girls’ hostel area and later died by suicide. Some posts have also alleged the involvement of a university worker.
A large number of students gathered on the campus demanding an investigation. Videos circulating online showed protesters confronting police and scenes of unrest around the university.
Earlier during the day, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Singla, said after reviewing the situation that the students’ main demand was an investigation into the alleged assault of a student from the G3 hostel.
“Their primary demand is that three days ago a girl from the G3 hostel was raped and no action had been taken regarding this until now,” Singla told reporters.
He said police had recorded the students’ statement and started the process of registering an FIR.
The police have since begun investigating the allegations as well as the violence that followed the protest. The university officials have denied the allegations.
The North News
