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Chandigarh, September 27
A protest erupted at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara late on Saturday night after allegations of the rape of a female student began circulating on social media.
A large number of students gathered on the campus demanding an investigation and action over claims that a student from the G3 hostel had allegedly been sexually assaulted. The protest continued into the early hours of Sunday.
The social media posts also claimed that the student had later died by suicide and alleged the involvement of a university worker. However, police and the university had not officially confirmed these claims at the time of reporting.
The videos circulating on social media showed large gatherings of students and unrest. There were also reports of damage to university property and the blocking of the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Singla, told the media after reviewing the situation that the students’ main demand was an investigation into the alleged sexual assault.
“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.
Police subsequently formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the allegation and deployed additional security in and around the university.
The university, meanwhile, denied the allegations and appealed to students and others to rely on verified information rather than claims circulating on social media. The police investigation is now expected to establish what happened and examine the allegations made by the students.
The case remains under investigation, and further details are awaited from the police and university authorities.
The North News
