Students at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara blocked the Jalandhar–Phagwara stretch of National Highway 44 early Sunday after overnight protests on campus, prompting a heavy police deployment and a special investigation team to examine allegations that circulated on social media. Punjab officials said an FIR was registered against an unknown person based on a student’s statement, but they have not confirmed that any assault occurred inside the university.
Timeline of the unrest
Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said police learned around 1:45 a.m. that a large group had gathered at LPU and obstructed roads. Videos shared online showed damaged window panes, overturned planters, and small fires on campus paths. Toora told reporters that officers reached the site, spoke with student representatives, and that the situation was under control by mid-morning.
Jalandhar Range Deputy Inspector General Naveen Singla said students claimed a resident of the G3 hostel had been sexually assaulted three days earlier and that the administration failed to act. Singla emphasized that investigators had not independently verified an assault. Police were examining forensic evidence, CCTV footage, and phone records, he said, and would consult student representatives during the probe.
What the university said
LPU registrar Monica Gulati issued a statement calling the social media claims “false,” “baseless,” and “fabricated,” and alleging that anti-social elements were trying to damage the institution’s reputation. Vice chancellor Jaspal Singh told journalists the university knew of no such incident but would cooperate with investigators.
Executive dean of student welfare Dr Saurabh Lakhanpal said the manner in which messages spread suggested an organized attempt to harm the campus brand. The FIR itself notes that officials accused of suppressing information could be scrutinized, according to reporting from ABP Live citing the police document.
Broader campus tensions in Punjab
The LPU unrest followed a volatile Saturday at Chitkara University in Patiala, where students protested over unverified claims about two female students and damaged a police vehicle, according to The Hindu and PTI dispatches. Together, the episodes have put private universities in Punjab under scrutiny for how they handle student safety complaints and how quickly local police enter large residential campuses.
Women students at LPU added a separate demand on Sunday: that women’s hostels be staffed entirely by female employees. Singla said those concerns would be discussed alongside the criminal investigation.
What happens next
Police said a dedicated SIT would trace the origin of the viral messages and determine whether any crime occurred on campus or elsewhere. Until forensic and digital work concludes, officials are asking commuters to use alternate routes around Phagwara while highway blockades are cleared. For the thousands of students still inside LPU’s hostels, the immediate question is whether investigators can establish facts quickly enough to prevent another night of confrontation between protesters, administrators, and a police force now tasked with both crowd control and a sensitive criminal file.