Rajpura: A day before protests erupted at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab over allegations that an outsider had raped a female student on campus, another private university in the state witnessed a strikingly similar sequence: rumours spread through the campus, students took to the streets and the situation escalated into a protest.
At Chitkara University, located a little over 100 km from LPU, it began with a spooky noise, an ambulance and a priest. By the night of 25 September, these otherwise unrelated events had fuelled rumours that a female student had died by suicide and her friend had suffered a heart attack after witnessing it. The rumours snowballed into a protest, with students storming a private hospital and police vehicles being vandalised—before police debunked the claims.
“Nobody knew the details but we all heard that a girl in PIE hostel had died and another had a heart attack after seeing it. Then apparently an ambulance was spotted quickly taking them away,” said a fourth-year Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) student.
She told ThePrint that as the “rumour” spread across the campus, several students stepped out to protest against the authorities on the night of 25 September.
The protest grew, with students seen storming a private hospital across the university campus. In a viral video that ThePrint could not independently verify, students were seen sloganeering outside the hospital and near the university gate. According to police, two police vehicles were vandalised and a police official was manhandled.
While police have confirmed that the unrest at Chitkara University stemmed from a rumour, authorities are yet to provide a conclusive response on the LPU incident.
Following the protest, Chitkara University suspended classes from 28 September to 1 October. When ThePrint visited the campus on Wednesday, it was largely deserted, with most students—many of whom hail from Punjab and neighbouring Haryana—having gone home. Only a few students whose placements were underway were seen on campus.
Where it all began
“Someone got a message, another heard something and that is how it spread but from what I know, it all began with girls in the PIE hostel hearing some spooky noise,” said the CSE student.
“Then someone spotted an ambulance and someone saw a priest. Some people started saying that two women had gone missing, while others were saying that one died and another had a heart attack, but none of us knew anything for sure,” said another student who lived in the ‘IBN’ girls’ hostel.
She said similar rumours had circulated in the past, but had never been backed by conclusive evidence. “People talk about it for a few days and then move on,” she said.
This time, however, the rumours escalated into a protest on the night of 25 September.
“A lot of students gathered and suddenly we heard a commotion,” said a second-year student. He told ThePrint that more students joined as they heard the commotion, initially out of curiosity. According to him, students are allowed to move around the campus through the night, which meant the gathering quickly grew as word of the commotion spread.
Things then took a turn. “A group stormed a nearby hospital demanding clarity over the deaths while sloganeering,” he said.
As the situation escalated, Punjab Police reached the spot to bring it under control. “Police assured us that they will be investigating the matter and sharing probe details. After the discussion in the early hours of 26 September, we all went back to our hostels,” said the IBN hostel resident.
Rumour debunked
Banur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sukhdev Singh told ThePrint that police investigated the matter and concluded that it was a “rumour”.
The initial probe found that the “horror-like sounds” had been played through a speaker inside the PIE girls’ hostel on 23 September. “A student had played spooky noises through a speaker which created fear among other students,” Singh said.
The next morning, speculation intensified after students saw an ambulance and, later, a priest.
“In the early hours of 24 September, an ambulance entered the campus to transport an ill student and around 3 pm on 25 September, a priest was seen visiting a girls’ hostel,” the DSP said.
Rumours that students had gone missing or died by suicide then began circulating, eventually triggering the protest.
Despite police explaining the sequence of events to students, a second round of protests broke out on 26 September, with students demanding CCTV footage, details of the student who played the sounds and information about the hospitalised student.
“The university authorities provided us with details of the hospitalised student and the details of the priest and his daughter who is a fellow student. After that, students dispersed and things went back to normal,” said a student.
The aftermath
A day after the second round of protests, the university notified students and staff that no classes would be held from 28 September to 1 October.
“This is for the information of all faculty and Staff members of Chitkara University, Punjab, that from September 28, 2026 (Monday) to October 01, 2026 (Thursday) shall be observed as Non-Teaching Working Days due to administrative reasons,” said the circular signed by Harpreet S. Bhatia, Pro Chancellor, Human Resources.
Following the incident, Punjab Police registered a daily diary report stating that students had damaged two police vehicles and manhandled an officer. No FIR was registered in the matter.
Singh told ThePrint that the situation at Chitkara University remained peaceful.
“Citizens are urged to verify facts and refrain from spreading unverified rumours,” he said.
Police, however, continued to monitor the situation to determine whether outsiders were involved in provoking students or spreading unverified information.
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