7 hrs ago
Rumours Trigger Violent Protests at Two Punjab Universities
Two large universities in Punjab faced angry student protests after scary stories spread online and among students.
At Chitkara University, students heard rumours about a ghost, a past suicide and missing girls.
The rumours led to property damage and clashes with police.
The university and police said no death or missing student had been confirmed.
At Lovely Professional University, students heard that a girl had been raped and later died by suicide.
About 2,000 students protested, blocked a highway and damaged buildings.
Police and the university said they had received no complaint or found evidence proving the claim.
Videos from students in the room mentioned in the rumour gave different accounts about whether they had been instructed what to say.
The protests led LPU to postpone mid-term exams and suspend regular classes for 10 days.
Rumours of a ghost, a past suicide and missing students sparked unrest at Chitkara University on September 25.
Students at Chitkara allegedly damaged university property, smashed windows, vandalised two police vans and manhandled a police inspector.
At Lovely Professional University, unverified claims of a rape and subsequent suicide led roughly 2,000 students to protest on September 27.
LPU protesters blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway, damaged property and set parts of university buildings on fire.
Police and both universities said they found no evidence confirming the alleged deaths or rape, while some students questioned whether authorities suppressed information.
- Who
- Students at Chitkara University and Lovely Professional University, along with university administrators and Punjab police.
- What
- Rumours about a ghost, a past suicide, missing students, rape and suicide triggered violent student protests and property damage.
- Where
- Chitkara University in Rajpura and Lovely Professional University in Phagwara, Punjab; LPU protesters also blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway.
- When
- The Chitkara unrest began on September 25, and the LPU protests broke out in the early hours of September 27; the ghost rumours reportedly began on September 23.
- Why
- Students demanded answers and action over alarming claims, while police and university officials said the allegations were unverified or false.
Students' Concerns
Authorities' Position
Whether the allegations were properly investigated
Students' Concerns
Students said their grievances were not being heard and questioned how an outsider could access a girls' hostel, while some alleged the administration tried to suppress information.
Authorities' Position
Police and university officials said the claims were rumours, no complaint had been received, and no evidence had been found to confirm a rape, suicide or missing student.
Videos involving Room 504 residents
Students' Concerns
In a separate video, one student claimed the girls had been instructed by the LPU administration what to say and that part of their earlier video had been edited and posted without consent.
Authorities' Position
In the earlier video, three students identifying themselves as Room 504 residents said nothing had happened there and asked police and other students not to bother them.
Police handling of the LPU protest
Students' Concerns
Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the police response involved girls being hit, dragged and pushed, and rejected descriptions of the action as merely mild lathicharge.
Authorities' Position
The report states that police action was described as mild by police, while the authorities focused on restoring order after the protest escalated.
Key facts
- Chitkara protest
- Began around 10:30 pm on September 25 after ghost and missing-student rumours spread.
- Chitkara response
- Police said room checks found nothing, while the university denied that a suicide or death had occurred at the girls' hostel.
- LPU protest size
- Around 2,000 students gathered near the girls' hostel.
- LPU disruption
- Mid-term examinations were postponed and regular classes were suspended for 10 days.
- Reported damage
- Students smashed windows, threw bricks and flower pots, and set parts of LPU buildings on fire.
- Police finding at LPU
- The SSP said no complaint or substantiating evidence had been received regarding the alleged rape or suicide.
- Political response
- Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ordered strict action and directed DGP Gaurav Yadav to assess the situation; Harsimrat Kaur Badal condemned alleged police lathicharge.
Quotes
Col Rakesh Sharma
Registrar of Chitkara University
“We have taken the complaint seriously and will inquire into the matter in detail. We will also check the university records to ascertain whether any student is actually missing.”
firstpost.com
“Nothing happened on the campus. The rumour travelled among the students. Everything is okay on the campus as of now.”
firstpost.com
Sources
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