Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday directed Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav to visit Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara and personally assess the situation following violent student protests over unverified claims involving a female student.
Mann asked the DGP to ensure that the matter is thoroughly investigated, officials said.
LPU has rejected the allegations as false and fabricated, while police have launched an investigation and registered an FIR based on a statement given by protesting students. The direction came two days after protests at the university turned violent, with students allegedly damaging property and setting parts of the campus on fire. The protests were triggered by social media claims that a female student had allegedly been raped and later died by suicide. The Punjab government has directed the police to maintain law and order while ensuring that the allegations surrounding the LPU incident are examined on the basis of evidence.
The protesters also blocked the Delhi-Amritsar national highway, disrupting traffic for more than 15 hours before police restored movement on National Highway-44.
Meanwhile, police have widened their probe into the unrest at LPU and Chitkara University, where protests broke out a day earlier.
