Students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) staged a protest and blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway outside the campus over claims that a female student was raped by an outsider on the university premises, near Phagwara, Punjab.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Agitated protesters, mainly students, went on a rampage on the intervening night of September 26 and 27 at Lovely Professional University, a private institution in Punjab’s Phagwara in Kapurthala district, after an allegation surfaced that a female student had been raped on campus.
Protesters blocked National Highway-44 between Phagwara and Jalandhar, disrupting traffic for hours before the police registered a first information report (FIR) containing rape charges against unknown persons. A special investigation team has been constituted to probe the matter, the police said.
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Videos on social media platforms showed protesters, some of them with their faces covered by handkerchiefs, vandalising property inside the campus, damaging window panes and flower pots, and setting some objects on fire.
Despite the FIR and assurances from LPU Vice Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu, protesters held their ground, demanding that the university’s founder-chancellor and Rajya Sabha MP, Ashok Mittal, personally come to the protest site to give them his assurance of action in the case. In April, Mr. Mittal was one of seven Rajya Sabha MPs who quit the State’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to join the BJP.
Students accuse plumber of raping hostel resident
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Jalandhar Range) Naveen Singla told journalists that the FIR was registered based on students’ allegations that a female student residing in the university hostel had been raped by a plumber three days ago.
According to the students’ statement, the woman, a resident of the GH-3 hostel on campus, has since returned home. The students claimed that no action had been taken in the matter so far, Mr. Singla said.
LPU denies allegations
In a statement, LPU said the allegation of rape on campus was untrue. LPU registrar Monica Gulati said that rumours circulating on social media were false and misleading, and were circulated by mischievous sources. The university also released a video statement featuring three female students from room no. 504 of the GH-3 hostel, in which they claimed that no such incident had taken place, and said they had been staying there for the past two months.
Kapurthula’s Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said that police were informed about students gathering at the LPU campus and blocking the road at around 1:45 a.m. “When we arrived, we learnt that the gathering was triggered by rumours. We spoke to the students who had grievances against the LPU administration, and we are working to get those resolved,” he said. A heavy police force was deployed at the university to control the situation.
Published – September 27, 2026 10:44 am IST
