Three Arrested in LPU Vandalism Case
LPU founder Ashok Mittal alleges a larger conspiracy behind violence triggered by an unverified social media rumour
GG News Bureau
Jalandhar, 2nd Oct: Police have arrested three people in connection with the violence and vandalism at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara following the circulation of unverified social media claims about the alleged rape of a female student. The accused were produced before a local court and sent to three days of police remand for questioning.
The violence erupted after claims circulated among students on social media that a female student had been sexually assaulted. The protests later escalated into vandalism, arson and damage to university property, with traffic also disrupted on the Jalandhar-Phagwara route. Police have registered multiple FIRs in connection with the incidents.
Police said the accused were identified with the help of CCTV footage and digital evidence. Reports identified those produced before the court as James Dahiya, Gagan and Kamal. James Dahiya is reported to be an LPU student, while Gagan works as a delivery executive in Phagwara.
The arrests came as investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the violence and the online material that preceded the protests. A Special Investigation Team has also been constituted to investigate the incident. Preliminary findings reported by The New Indian Express indicated that some people involved were university alumni living outside the campus.
LPU founder and Chancellor Ashok Mittal, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, has alleged that the incident could be part of a larger conspiracy aimed at destabilising Punjab. He questioned how the social media claims spread, how students were allegedly mobilised and how people from outside the university became involved in the subsequent violence.
Mittal also pointed to reports of similar social-media-driven unrest at Chitkara University and said investigators should examine whether there was a connection between the incidents. These remain allegations, and authorities have not publicly established a wider conspiracy or a foreign link.
The LPU violence followed a rapid spread of unverified claims online. Reports on the incident have noted that the university and authorities were examining the allegations, while separate reporting said students had been protesting over demands for clarity, safety and an investigation.
Mittal said the episode had implications beyond the university because of LPU’s contribution to employment and the local economy. He also questioned the effectiveness of existing security arrangements at the campus in preventing the escalation.
The investigation is continuing, with police examining the role of those arrested, digital communications and the sequence of events that led from online rumours to large-scale campus violence.
