Jalandhar, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara remained tense following two nights of violence on its campus, with students and parents recounting scenes of vandalism, arson and alleged assaults. The university administration has suspended classes for 10 days and deferred mid-term examinations until further notice.
Hundreds of hostel students, including boys and girls, began leaving the campus for their homes after the university announced the closure. While many expressed relief at the return of calm, several said they were deeply shaken by the violence they had witnessed.
Students who spoke to IANS alleged that people from outside the university had entered the campus and attacked students, damaged property and created panic. They claimed that some of the intruders were intoxicated and armed with canes and rods.
Aditya, a BTech student at LPU, said he was leaving for home and had no immediate plans to return. Describing the situation as tense, he said rumours about the alleged rape of a female student had triggered the unrest.
“Many men from outside the campus, drunk and armed with canes and rods, came inside and vandalised the campus and its property,” he alleged, adding that he had seen girl students being assaulted.
Aditya also claimed that a hostel warden had confirmed the alleged rape, but maintained that those involved in the violence were outsiders rather than university students.
Manoj Kumar, a parent from Sonipat in Haryana whose three children study at LPU, said he had not received any direct communication from the university administration about the unrest. He said his children had informed him about the violence and turmoil on campus, leaving the family worried.
“We received information about chaos and turmoil on mobile phone. We panicked on hearing about it,” he said.
According to Kumar, his children were unable to sleep during the night as the situation unfolded. He said the campus appeared to be under control by morning, but the violence allegedly escalated again the following day when outsiders entered the premises and assaulted students.
He also alleged that female students were harassed and that intruders forcibly entered the girls’ hostel.
Kumar reached the campus in the early hours of Monday after learning about the 10-day closure and was prepared to take his children home.
Divyansh Tiwari, a first-year student, said he and his friends initially learned about the violence through Reddit. He said reports circulating online alleged that a third-year female student had been raped and later died by suicide at her home after being sent there.
The allegation has not been independently established in the account provided by the students.
Tiwari said he witnessed violence and arson on the campus during the night, claiming that thousands of young people had gathered and vandalised buildings and set property on fire.
“They ransacked the girl’s hostel, they burnt down our classrooms,” he alleged, adding that the people involved did not appear to be students. He said the situation was comparatively calm during the daytime.
“I was shocked and terrified, have never seen such horror unfold before my eyes before,” he said.
Naina Sahu, a first-year BCom student, also described seeing masked individuals entering the campus and allegedly engaging in violence. She said students had heard about the alleged rape but were unsure whether the reports were true.
“We feel very unsafe here and want to leave the campus as soon as possible,” she said.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the violence.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav told mediapersons on Monday that the violence had broken out on the intervening night of September 26 and 27, reportedly following rumours.
He said police teams were deployed soon after the violence began and that efforts were made to address students’ grievances against the university administration.
The investigation is underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the unrest and verify the allegations made by students.
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