Punjab: Two Private Universities Face Massive Student Unrest, Vandalism Over Girls’ Safety on Campus
Jalandhar: Two private universities in Punjab – Lovely Professional University, Phagwara and Chitkara University, Rajpura – have been in the news for similar reasons: unconfirmed claims of a mishap involving girls, massive students' protest and allegations of ‘lack of transparency’ by the universities.
Both the protests took place in quick succession and at a time when the Punjab Assembly Election 2027 is just five months away.
While at Chitkara the protest was confined to students’ claims that two girls had either gone missing or died by suicide, protest and violence erupted at LPU over an alleged rape case.
The LPU authorities suspended classes for ten days while the Chitkara University has been shut down for a week. In the case of LPU, an FIR has been registered and a seven-member SIT formed to investigate the crime. However, no FIR has been registered regarding the Chitkara university case so far.
Aftermath of the protests at LPU. Photo: Kusum Arora.
In LPU, the students alleged that a girl staying in GH-3 on the campus was allegedly raped by a worker of the university and demanded justice. At Chitkara, conflicting statements by students over the two missing girls added to confusion surrounding the case.
Meanwhile, the Punjab State Women Commission has also taken suo moto notice of the two incidents and sought a detailed clarification, including copies of FIRs and safety measures in place for girl students on the campus.
LPU witnesses massive violence, campus vandalised
Following the vandalism and mayhem at LPU, alarmed students said that it was lack of transparency, suppression of information and media management that triggered the protest.
The students – mostly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Kashmir, who went home – said that it was the result of pent up anger against the university authorities. “We keep on hearing about many such cases including that of suicides on the campus, but the LPU authorities manage to keep facts under wrap. They never let anything come out in the open,” said a group of girl students heading home to Kerala.
Aftermath of the protests at LPU. Photo: Kusum Arora.
“Given the gravity of the situation, we hope that this time, the university authorities will bring facts to light, as it directly affects our safety. Something definitely took place in GH-3, else the students would not have protested in this manner,” they added.
Another group of male students from Telangana told The Wire that around 20 days ago, a girl student also from Telangana died by suicide but the university authorities managed to cover up the tragedy. “A girl died by suicide on the campus and during university hours but instead of an investigation, the LPU authorities brushed the matter under the carpet. It is important to know who provoked her, and under which circumstances she took this drastic step”, they said.
Aftermath of the protests at LPU. Photo: Kusum Arora.
The boys from Telangana also shared that many suicides take place on LPU campus, but nobody ever comes to know the reasons behind it. “The university charges a hefty amount as fees from students. Instead of arranging a counselling session with some psychologist and guiding them, the varsity maintains silence”, they added.
Another group of girls from Northeast, who were heading to Delhi, said that the students always remain under constant pressure of ‘Unfair Means Case’ or UMC, under which they are liable for formal disciplinary action in various minor and major cases like cheating, fraud, misbehavior and fighting.
“It is because of this reason that the students never talk about anything in the open. We just can’t speak openly or criticize anything on social media, as that would invite action under UMC. Many students in LPU study under different scholarship schemes and if found guilty, the students are stripped off their benefits”, they added.
Aftermath of the protests at LPU. Photo: Kusum Arora.
“This frustration of not being allowed to raise voice against anything is what further triggered the protest”, they said.
A group of boys from Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology (NIET) Greater Noida, who had reached LPU for a training program, were also stuck on the campus following the protests. “Our management sent a special bus for our safe exit. We came out of the hostel only after the situation normalized on Monday morning”, they said .
Earlier, following Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s directions, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav visited the campus on Monday and said that the police exercised restraint while handling the protests but warned that those found involved in vandalism would face action. “A detailed scientific and technical probe was on. The SIT was examining the CCTV recordings, video footage and other evidence to identify those responsible for the violence”, he added.
The students also alleged that the area outside LPU’s Law Gate had become a den of uncivilised and notorious activities over the years, including the rise of anti-social elements, drugs, and sex abuse. “The Punjab Police should take note of the notorious incidents happening outside Law Gate too. They were quick in acting against the students but have not been able to control what all happens outside Law Gate,” they said.
Aftermath of the protests at LPU. Photo: Kusum Arora.
Amidst the protests on Sunday, a video of three girls, ostensibly from the same hostel where the alleged incident took place, also went viral on social media.
In the first video, the three girls said that no such incident took place in their room or hostel and that they would inform their parents if anybody harassed them over the alleged rape case that led to protests.
However, later the three girls posted a second video saying, “We had no idea that our video would be used like this. We were instructed to speak like this and our video was trimmed. The video was posted without our consent.”
The extent of damage at LPU was huge, as shards of glass were found scattered everywhere. From the broken main gate of the university, glass doors to half burnt and mangled air conditioners, railings, sign boards, roundabouts, broken window panes, flowerpots and broken furniture, the varsity has faced losses worth crores.
The major damage was in the Admissions department, and block 26 and 27, where workers on duty were clearing the mess. Apart from this, the biometric and electronic system for students’ verification at the entrance of the campus and university’s Uni Mall was also badly ransacked and looted in the protest.
Chitkara University closed till Monday
At Chitkara University, initial reports suggested that two first year students had gone missing from the hostel. The protest intensified on the midnight of September 24 when unverified claims about the status of the girls started doing the rounds among students.
While some students claimed that both the girls have died and the university authorities managed to suppress the information, other students said that they heard loud screams from the hostel, after one of the two girls noticed some paranormal activity.
Another claim was that one of the girls died suicide while the other panicked noticing this and had to be hospitalised. The students said, “We do not know if the hospitalised student was safe or alive. The university authorities were busy covering up the incident and suppressing information. There is a complete lack of transparency.”
It is pertinent to mention here that the protest intensified when an ambulance arrived at the hostel, adding more fuel to the viral claims.
However, the university authorities claimed that the ambulance arrived at the hostel after a student had returned from the hospital in the early hours of Thursday.
The Wire spoke to Col Rakesh Sharma, Registrar, Chitkara University, who said that no death or suicide took place on the campus. “These were all rumors and the result of social media posts. The matter is under investigation of Superintendent of Police, Rajpura. No FIR has been registered in this case, but the university has suspended classes for this week. The classes will resume next Monday, October 5, 2026,” he said.
When asked again that the students alleged that a girl student died while the other was critical and that there was no transparency by the university in this case, Col Rakesh said, “We have always been transparent in sharing every information. Moreover, a team of Rajpura police had immediately reached the campus when the protest started.”
Opposition blames AAP for LPU violence
Amidst the vandalism, political rivalry between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also came to the forefront on Monday.
Many believed that the violence was part of a larger conspiracy ahead of Union home minister Amit Shah’s anti-drugs rally in Jalandhar on September 30.
BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Bittu said that LPU protests were an AAP conspiracy to disrupt Shah’s mega anti-drugs rally. “AAP is rattled by the massive support Punjabis are extending to the BJP,” he said.
On the LPU protest, BJP national spokesperson and national media co-convener Pradeep Bhandari, while showing an image of the protest from the university said, “If you look closely at this image, you will see how a Punjab Police official – acting on Arvind Kejriwal’s orders – grabbed female students by the collar. The Congress party and the opposition are trying to vitiate the atmosphere across the country.”
Bhandari further said all that happened is not merely an organic event; it is part of a toolkit where AAP through its police force has lathi charged the youth of Punjab, including female students. “They are not just trying to incite the country’s youth; their objective is to launch an attack on the nation's democracy. This also highlights the hypocrisy regarding the lectures Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal deliver to the world, given that law and order has collapsed in Punjab today.”
Reacting against the protest, SAD president Sukhbir Badal also said that the AAP, led by Kejriwal and chief minister Bhagwant Mann, engineered the protest to target LPU chancellor and Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal after his switch from AAP to the BJP.
“An independent probe should be conducted to ascertain the facts in the alleged sexual assault of a girl student. But the violence and arson that erupted in the university is part of AAP’s mischief, which was aimed at punishing Mittal for leaving the party,” Badal said while criticising police action against the protesting students.
Congress leader Pargat Singh also demanded a high court monitored, impartial investigation to protect students’ rights and expose any conspiracy to disturb Punjab’s peace. “How were outsiders carrying weapons and walkie-talkies allowed to operate? Was this administrative incompetence or complicity?” he questioned.
However, AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu said that the Punjab Police handled the situation with restraint and professionalism. “The situation at LPU was ‘highly sensitive’ as it involved students from Punjab, other states and abroad. Ensuring the safety of every student studying in Punjab is the government's priority and an SIT has been constituted to probe the LPU incident,” he said.
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