Fresh violence broke out during protests at Lovely Professional University in Punjab on Sunday, with police vehicles set on fire and personnel injured as students and police clashed outside the campus, HT reported. The confrontation came hours after police registered an FIR over an alleged rape of a student and formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case.
Police register FIR and form SIT
The trouble began late on Saturday after claims about an alleged sexual assault spread among students and on social media. Students later moved across the campus and blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, demanding police action. The protest turned violent as window panes were smashed, bricks and flower pots were thrown and objects were set on fire. Police later cleared the highway and traffic resumed. Videos from the campus also showed students climbing onto a MiG-23UM aircraft and a military tank kept on display at the university. The SIT includes Phagwara SP Major Singh, DSP Palwinder Singh, a woman police inspector and student representatives. Student representatives will also be kept informed during the investigation. Students also sought a fresh investigation into the death by suicide of a Telangana student on the campus about a fortnight ago.
Around 2,000 students gathered near a girls’ hostel, according to reports cited in the initial accounts of the protest. On Sunday, Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said an FIR had been registered (against an unknown person) regarding the alleged incident involving a student of the G-3 hostel and a Special Investigation Team had been set up.
Police have said the investigation will examine digital and technical evidence. Singla said police had now started another probe following the students’ demand.
Police had earlier started inquest proceedings after recording statements from the student’s family.
