Phagwara: Charred metal, broken tiles and uprooted trees lie scattered around the entrance to the 600-acre Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara.
Walking gingerly through the remnants of the mob violence Saturday and Sunday, students walk with their luggage to the main road to catch three-wheelers to bus stands and railway stations as they head to their homes Monday morning. After the violence, the university authorities have suspended classes for 10 days.
As they leave the sprawling campus behind, the students seem anxious about their academic future.
“They burnt down the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) building yesterday. That is where we used to attend classes. Will everything go back to normal in just 10 days?” asks a female CSE second year student. Speaking on condition of anonymity, she said, “I have had to convince my parents to allow me to pursue higher studies. Going back now to my tier three city home is extremely difficult.”
A few steps away, Aditi is standing with a her luggage: “The college authorities asked us to go home but not all of us live close by. I come from Andhra Pradesh and to manage logistics of travelling at such short notice is fairly difficult.” The 21-year-old told ThePrint that she could only get a ticket till Chandigarh and would have to try for a tatkal ticket from there on.
Meanwhile, Drishti, another student at LPU expressed her fears over staying back after the violence. “University authorities said that those who live in neighbouring states can go back and those from far off places can stay back. But how does one stay back when such violence can happen at any point,” she asked.
Drishti was inside the girls hostel when several “goons” entered the university premises and began entering the girls hostel. “We helped some of the freshers leave their room through their balconies and all of us huddled together for the entire night. These people had sharp weapons,” she said.
At present, several Punjab Police officers are posted in the campus. When ThePrint reached the spot, the police had completely barricaded the road outside the university, only allowing vehicles that were ferrying students to bus stops and railway stations. No one was allowed to enter the campus, and guardians of students were asked to queue outside the campus main gates to meet and escort students. Several officers were also seen escorting groups of students, and some were posted at small eateries and restaurants dotting the neighbourhood of the university.
The precursor to the exodus
The student exodus at LPU began Monday morning after a long night of “arson” and “violence” at the university following allegations of sexual assault on campus and the subsequent suicide of the female student.
The university has been on edge since 26 September (Saturday) after students alleged that a female student was sexually assaulted by a construction worker on the college premises. What began as a peaceful protest demanding justice and accountability snowballed into a violent protest by Sunday evening.
“A social media post on reddit alleged that a female student was sexually assaulted inside Girl’s Hostel 3 and that she had died by suicide. After that we began hearing sounds of female students shouting and then the male students also joined. But, all of that was peaceful until Sunday,” said Krish Rana, a BSC student at LPU.
Rana further told ThePrint that Saturday students were protesting inside the campus demanding accountability. “From the moment the gate was broken down, outsiders began entering the premises and creating havoc,” he added.
The protest began with students demanding a fair police probe, following which several top officials visited the campus, reassuring the students of an in-depth investigation. As the protests refused to die down, the police registered an FIR against unknown persons in the Satnampura police station in Phagwara.
DIG (Jalandhar Range) Naveen Singla said, “We have registered an FIR and constituted an SIT. We will conduct the investigation, including a scientific one, alongside their representatives, and if a culprit is identified, we will certainly apprehend. Our team is examining the CCTV footage, and if any leads emerge, we will certainly take action.”
“The students stated that there was a girl in Room 504. We will investigate who that girl was or what actually transpired. This will be determined through CCTV footage and technical/scientific evidence,” said. He added that five representatives of the protesting students have been added to the probe team.
Notably, the incident at LPU comes a day after students at Patiala-based Chitkara University held a protest, alleging that two female students had died by suicide on their campus and their bodies were disposed of. After the initial probe, however, the police said the allegations were unfounded. “We investigated the matter and the allegations did not hold up, no such students were found who died by suicide. The students are also satisfied with the investigation now,” Senior Superintendent of Police Harmandeep Singh Hans said.
Havoc inside campus
Even as the police held talks with students, the protest snowballed and grew violent by Sunday evening. “The main gate was broken down and then several goons entered the college premises. They burnt down the Unimall, stole laptops, set several buildings ablaze and created an unsafe atmosphere. We had to rescue freshers as the goons had begun knocking on their doors,” a female student said on condition of anonymity.
Sukhbir, a CSE student alleged that the goons reached the college premises in small trucks and vans. “They were shouting, carrying hammers, sharp weapons. Some even had walkie talkies. They ransacked the premises, pelted stones and clearly entered the university with malicious motives,” he said. Sukhbir highlighted that until “external elements” had entered the premises, the protests were peaceful.
Soon the protest and violence spilled on to National Highway 44, just outside the university’s gates, choking the heavily-used road. Subsequently when the police attempted to clear the road, members of the mob allegedly hurled bottles at the police. “When police began lathi charge, some people burnt vehicles and continued the road blockade,” said Karamvir Singh, an MBA student at LPU. According to the police, three SUVs, six motorbikes and several police vehicles were damaged.
University authorities deny sexual assault
Meanwhile the university authorities continue to deny allegations of sexual assault. “Certain anti-social elements are spreading completely false, baseless and fabricated rumours through social media and other channels, thereby creating unnecessary confusion among students and attempting to disturb the peaceful academic environment of the university,” Monica Gulati, registrar, LPU, said in a statement.
Further, LPU vice-chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu said no report or complaint on the sexual assault had come to his notice till Sunday morning.
LPU has suspended regular classes, postponed mid-term exams and advised students to leave for their hometowns. “Dear students, to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, the following is hereby informed, firstly, regular classes will remain suspended for a period of 10 days with effect from 28 September 2026. Secondly, mid-term examinations are postponed until further notice. Thirdly, students may, in consultation with their parents/guardians, travel to their hometowns during this 10-day period, if they wish to do so. Fourthly, Students who stay back are advised to stay inside their hostels/places of residence and avoid unnecessary movement or involvement in any unrest activities in the interest of their own safety,” the notice read.
It further requested students to remain calm, follow official instructions, and stay connected for all further updates.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: LPU protest erupts into violence as protesting students reject police probe into ‘rape’ case