Phagwara Students at Lovely Professional University (LPU), located near Jalandhar in Punjab, staged a protest late Sunday night over reports circulating on social media alleging the rape of a female student. According to police, some university property was damaged and some items were set on fire during the protest. The students also blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway for several hours.

LPU Issues Clarification

However, at the time of reporting, police had not confirmed any complaint of rape, and there was no independent confirmation of the alleged incident. LPU Registrar Dr. Monica Gulati issued a statement describing the rumours circulating on social media as baseless. She said there was no truth in the claims and appealed to students, parents and the general public not to believe or further share such information.

Protesting students said they were demanding an investigation into the matter and registration of an FIR. Some students alleged that the incident had taken place, while the university has denied these allegations.

This is the second major student protest reported at a private university in Punjab within two days following unverified rumours circulating on social media. Earlier, students at Chitkara University in Rajpura had also staged a protest following unconfirmed rumours circulating on social media.