A ‘ghost’ rumour triggered massive protests at a private university in Punjab’s Patiala on Friday night, with many students seen damaging a police patrol vehicle.
Tensions flared at Chitkara University after a video claiming the presence of a ‘ghost’ on campus went viral on social media. Following the video’s circulation, hundreds of students took to the streets late at night and staged a protest. They alleged that a female student had died by suicide on campus and that her spirit was now haunting the hostel residents, a claim rejected by the university officials. Students also claimed that screams were heard from a girls’ hostel. The university clarified that no suicide or death has taken place at the hostel. “His visit did take place; however, the facts are being misrepresented online. His presence had no connection whatsoever with any alleged death or suicide,” the statement read. Senior police officers visited the university and tried to pacify the situation. “We have met students here and received their complaint. But nobody knows who is missing. They even do not know the name of any of the girls who is missing. “Considering the seriousness of the matter, we have received a complaint from students. We will investigate it. We will do verification of each student if anybody is found missing, necessary action will be taken,” he added.
He had come to the hostel at approximately 3:00 p.m. to meet his daughter, who is a student at the university.
“The claims circulating on social media are false and without factual basis or substantiation,” it said in an official statement. The university said an ambulance had arrived at the hostel in the early hours of Thursday in connection with a student who had returned from the hospital. “There was no death or suicide associated with this incident,” it said. The university also said that some social media posts claimed that a ‘Pandit Ji’ visited the girls’ hostel. The university urged students not to rely on “unverified reels, posts or messages on social media”. “Such content, when circulated without checking facts, can cause unnecessary distress among students and their families and create an inaccurate impression of events on campus,” it said. They said that students were claiming that two female students were missing. But there is a rumour that two girls are missing,” an officer said.
