LPU protest: How hostel rumours spiralled into violence, an 18-hour highway blockade
What happened at Lovely Professional University has left a bitter aftertaste among its students, posed a severe challenge for the university administration, and tested Punjab Police in equal measure.
On the intervening night of September 26–27, unverified social media claims began circulating that a female student in Girls’ Hostel No. 3 had been raped by an outsider. Some students said the accused was a plumber or electrician; others claimed the victim had died by suicide. Allegations quickly followed that the university administration and hostel authorities had taken no action and that the victim had been sent home.
The absence of clear, timely communication from the campus only amplified the rumours. Students gathered near the girls’ hostel and soon went on a rampage. Window panes were smashed, flower pots and barricades were destroyed, and chairs were overturned. Shops inside the campus mall were looted. Objects and portions of buildings were set on fire.
One student even climbed a decommissioned MiG-23 aircraft on the premises. Visuals of this and the chaos at LPU quickly went viral.
The protesters then blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway (NH-44), bringing the Delhi-Amritsar stretch to a complete halt for more than 18 hours.
By early morning, a large crowd had assembled. By noon, the numbers had thinned to around 300. Police officers on the ground negotiated with the students, yet the demands kept shifting. First, an FIR was sought, then a Special Investigation Team, then the arrest of the accused and then a meeting with Chancellor Rashmi Mittal.
Constant denials by the university that any such incident had occurred only fuelled the anger. At least five students were taken inside the campus and shown CCTV footage. A series of meetings followed, but the agitation only intensified. Unrelenting students continued to shout slogans and wave posters demanding justice.
Police eventually registered an FIR against an unknown person under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Satnampura police station and constituted an SIT.FRES CLASHSES, POLICE VEHICLES TORCHED
Students were, however, unrelenting and fresh clashes erupted. Students pelted stones at the police, torched at least one police jeep and extensively damaged other official vehicles. Several policemen were injured.
LPU suspended regular classes for ten days from September 28 and postponed mid-term examinations. The highway was finally reopened once the situation began to calm.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that on the night of September 26–27, students had complained about an incident and caused damage, including setting a portion of a gate on fire.
Police moved in, engaged in talks with both students and the administration, registered an FIR and formed an SIT. The force, he stressed, exercised maximum restraint because the students were like their own children.
The following day, under provocation, police vehicles were damaged. Minimum force was used. CCTV footage and scientific evidence would be examined and action taken against those responsible, Yadav said. He also appealed to everyone not to go by rumours.LPU BLAMES OUTSIDERS FOR RUCKUS
The LPU, in a statement, blamed outsiders who created a ruckus. In a fresh statement, the university said students come from across India and around 50 countries and that safeguarding their trust, safety, dignity and well-being is the top priority.
"Anti-social elements" exploited heightened emotions, causing disruption and damage to university property, the university said, adding that such conduct has no place in the LPU community.
Appropriate legal action will be taken against the outside infiltrators, LPU said.STUDENTS RAISE QUESTIONS OVER EARLIER COMPLAINTS
A senior officer in the intelligence grid described the episode as cumulative. Several earlier incidents of alleged sexual harassment and suicide had left many students feeling unheard. The protest, the officer said, became an outlet for pent-up frustration in a pressure-cooker atmosphere.
One girl student told India Today that complaints seemed to be brushed under the carpet in a private university where little is allowed to surface.
Three girls who stayed in Room 504 of the girls’ hostel told India Today that no incident had occurred in their room. Police had entered early on Sunday morning, recorded their statements and left without verifying whether something might have happened elsewhere, the trio said.advertisement40,000 STUDENTS, 25,000 RESIDENTSPolice assessment was that LPU’s mammoth campus had 40,000 students, with roughly 25,000 students living in two dozen hostels, each housing 900–1,000 residents. This made crowd control extraordinarily difficult.
As per police officials, around 2,000 protesters took part in the sit-in dharna, with several vehicles, including buses, trucks and cars, stuck for over 18 hours.
A professor noted that barely a hundred guards were present for such numbers. One student described the security presence as largely for show.
Another professor alleged that the admission process itself violated UGC norms, with departments swollen far beyond capacity.
"It is like bhed bakris," he said, alleging that the university was simply a money-making machine.
Police said they reached the campus within minutes of being informed at night but found the management absent. The Vice-Chancellor and the Dean of Students’ Welfare arrived only the next morning.
A clear trust deficit between students and the administration complicated every effort to defuse the situation. Reinforcements were called from Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and later from the border districts of Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur.
Officials estimate the damage to the campus runs into several crores. Three police vehicles were torched and several policemen were injured. Overnight, a flag march was conducted. Students returned to their hostels and the situation was brought under control.
The highway is open again. Classes remain suspended for ten days. An investigation is under way and those responsible for the violence will face action.SIMILAR RUMOURS AT PUNJAB-BASED PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Rumours at Punjab-based private universities have followed a clear, rapid pattern in recent days, driven almost entirely by unverified social media claims about girls’ hostels and safety.
Claims move in minutes through WhatsApp groups, Instagram reels and campus chats. Within 48 hours in late September 2026, two major private campuses about 140 km apart saw nearly identical sequences.
Just days ago, Chitkara University near Rajpura saw a "ghost" scare, claims of missing girls or deaths in a hostel, and reports of screams spread via social media and student groups.
Patiala Police claimed no girl was missing. A similar incident happened at Chandigarh University in September 2022 during the girls’ hostel "leaked video" controversy.
Large-scale protests took place. Students alleged that a first-year female MBA student had secretly recorded videos of other girls in the common bathroom/washroom area of a hostel.
Rumours quickly escalated on social media and among students that several girls had attempted suicide or that some had died or gone missing after the alleged leak.
Police and the university firmly denied these claims. Police later arrested three people, including a 23-year-old female student who had shared her own photos.COMMUNICATION REMAINS A KEY CONCERN
While this disturbing trend has increased in Punjab, it seems private universities have found it an uphill task when dealing with Gen Z students, even as speed, transparency and communication seem to be a lacuna.
In a politically hot season, the opposition has got more ammunition to hit out at AAP. Bhagwant Mann, on his part, ordered the DGP to visit the spot and take an assessment. He also promised strict action against the culprits.- EndsREAD | Girls hostels, ghost, rumours: Pattern in violence at Punjab varsities 140 km apart
Kamaljit Sandhu is an award winning journalist working as Deputy Editor in India Today. She has nearly two decades of experience as a full time TV journalist. She covers "conflict" regions, Internal security matters, MEA and Parliament. Her work has often led to crisscrossing the country. She has also traveled to Pakistan and Iran, in pursuit of news stories. In 2019, she received the ENBA Award for best news programming for her ground report on "surviving Bastar" which was based on the government's policy on inducting tribals in Crpf in chattisgarh to counter naxals.
Personal interests: Kamaljit likes travelling, interior decoration and playing scrabble, Has varied interests in sporting activities like swimming, badminton and Yoga.
