Phagwara/Rajpura, October 3 Nine persons, including a juvenile who climbed atop a MiG-23, have been arrested in connection with arson and vandalism during protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara near Jalandhar on September 27 and 28.

Meanwhile, two persons have been arrested in connection with the student unrest at Chitkara University in Rajpura, Patiala, on the intervening night of September 25 and 26.

9 Arrested in LPU Case

Those arrested in the LPU case have been identified as university students James Dahiya from Sonepat, Ashutosh from Uttar Pradesh, Antriksh Dutta and Sahil Singh from Jammu, and Krishna Kumar and Bhavishya Karan from Maharashtra.

Two outsiders, Gagandeep and Jasmeet Kumar, who worked as pizza delivery boys in Phagwara, have also been arrested.

The juvenile whose image atop a MiG-23 at LPU became prominent during the protest hails from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

Police have so far identified 40 accused, including social media influencer Farhat Dev, a BBA student at LPU. Farhat, who has 21,000 followers on Instagram, went viral during the protest. He has not been arrested yet.

Digital Evidence and CCTV Footage Examined

Speaking to mediapersons, DIG, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Singla said that 20 persons have been nominated in two FIRs registered in Kapurthala and Phagwara on September 28.

The Special Investigation Team has formed multiple teams and is examining digital evidence from social media, news channels and CCTV footage from LPU, among other sources.

According to the DIG, the accused have been found involved in arson, rioting, attacks on police personnel, blocking the national highway and ransacking LPU infrastructure. He said some students posed as protesters and later engaged in arson.

The DIG said several accused were from the Law Gate area outside LPU, where an ecosystem of alumni, traders, PG accommodations, rental units and dealers exists.

Rape Case Investigation Also Underway

The DIG said the investigation was also being carried out simultaneously in the rape case registered at the Satnampura police station in Kapurthala. Police said the victim in the case had not yet been identified.

CCTV footage is being examined, while staff members, students, hostellers and wardens are being questioned, the DIG said.

Responding to questions about whether a conspiracy or pre-planned strategy was behind the protests, Singla said the investigation was being conducted from all angles and that no one would be spared.

The accused have been booked under Sections 109, 132, 221, 326(b), 326(g), 324(4) and 309(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 4 of the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act, 2014.

2 Arrested in Chitkara University Case

In the Chitkara University case, Patiala police identified the arrested accused as Himanshu from Nangal and Aryan from Ambala.

During the investigation, police said it emerged that the duo had allegedly instigated students by circulating misleading messages through social media groups, contributing to the escalation of the situation on the university campus.

Following the unrest, an FIR was registered at Banur police station and a large-scale investigation was launched. Police examined social media activity and messages circulated by students and other persons.

Police teams have been dispatched to various locations to apprehend the remaining 10 accused.

Patiala SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said the investigation was underway to identify more persons allegedly involved in spreading misinformation, instigating students and damaging public property.