2 hrs ago
LPU Chancellor Calls Campus Violence a Conspiracy Amid Rape Allegation
Students at Lovely Professional University protested after an allegation that a female student was raped on campus.
They also said the university did not properly address the allegation.
During the protests, some campus property was damaged and fires were reported.
Some protesters climbed on a retired military aircraft and a tank displayed on campus.
Chancellor Ashok Mittal said the violence may have been part of a large conspiracy.
He also said no victim had been found yet.
Police nevertheless registered a rape case after receiving a complaint from students.
Classes were suspended for 10 days, and many students went home.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the state government to report on its investigation.
LPU founder-chancellor Ashok Mittal alleged a “big conspiracy” behind violence and vandalism on the campus.
Mittal said no rape victim had been found, while police filed a rape case based on students’ complaint.
Students had alleged that an outsider raped a female student and that the administration suppressed the matter.
Protesters blocked the New Delhi-Amritsar Highway, while masked outsiders were accused of arson and property damage.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court sought a government status report after a petition requested a CBI probe.
- Who
- Lovely Professional University students, founder-chancellor Ashok Mittal, Punjab police and the Punjab and Haryana High Court were involved in the developments.
- What
- Protests over an alleged rape were followed by campus vandalism, arson allegations and calls for an investigation into the violence.
- Where
- Lovely Professional University in Phagwara, Punjab, including the New Delhi-Amritsar Highway outside the campus.
- When
- The major protest occurred on Sunday; classes were suspended on Monday, and Mittal spoke on Wednesday, September 30.
- Why
- Students protested an alleged rape and alleged that the matter was suppressed; Mittal said the violence may have been a conspiracy to defame Punjab and the university.
Students’ Allegations
Chancellor’s Claims
Rape allegation
Students’ Allegations
Students alleged that an outsider raped a female student on campus and that the administration hushed up the matter.
Chancellor’s Claims
Ashok Mittal said no victim had been found and claimed the allegation was intended to defame Punjab and Lovely Professional University.
Cause of the violence
Students’ Allegations
Students said masked outsiders damaged property, ransacked shops and set parts of the campus on fire during the unrest.
Chancellor’s Claims
Mittal said there was a “big conspiracy” behind the violence and questioned who was responsible and who allowed it to happen.
Meaning of the campus protest
Students’ Allegations
Students organized a large protest, blocked the highway and sought action over the alleged rape and the university’s handling of it.
Chancellor’s Claims
Mittal said students were provoked into joining the protest and argued that climbing on a decommissioned aircraft and tank insulted the country and soldiers.
Key facts
- University
- Lovely Professional University in Phagwara
- Chancellor
- Ashok Mittal
- Protest action
- Students blocked a stretch of the New Delhi-Amritsar Highway outside the campus.
- Police cases
- Police filed a rape case based on a student complaint and booked unidentified people over violence and arson.
- Campus response
- Classes were suspended for 10 days.
- Court action
- The Punjab and Haryana High Court sought a status report from the Punjab government.
- Requested investigation
- A public interest litigation sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the vandalism and violence.
Quotes
Ashok Mittal
Lovely Professional University founder-chancellor and Rajya Sabha MP
“I have less concern for LPU. I have concerns for my Punjab, which is a border state.”
theprint.in
“There is no victim. No victim has been found yet.”
theprint.in
Sources
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