Patna, Amid the escalating unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary spoke to the LPU founder and Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal over concerns regarding the safety and interests of students from Bihar.
Choudhary said that he discussed the situation with Mittal, who assured him of full cooperation and the necessary steps to safeguard students from Bihar.
The Chief Minister also added that the university management had been asked to take appropriate measures to ensure the students’ safety and protect their interests.
The unrest at LPU began after claims circulated among students and on social media that a female student had allegedly been sexually assaulted on the university campus.
Students also linked the allegations to the death of another student.
The allegations have not been established.
Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter.
Investigators are examining evidence, including CCTV footage, forensic material and phone data.
LPU, meanwhile, has denied that the alleged sexual assault incident took place on campus and described the claims as “false, baseless and fabricated rumours”.
A large number of students gathered on the campus as the protest intensified.
Reports said that university property was damaged and some objects were set on fire, while protesters also blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of NH-44.
The protest later escalated into clashes between students and police.
Officials said that protesters pelted stones and targeted police vehicles, while police took action to disperse the mob.
Several police personnel were reportedly injured, and multiple vehicles were damaged.
Traffic on NH-44 was subsequently restored after being disrupted for more than 15 hours.
Police said that the situation was under control, with a large force deployed at the university and surrounding areas.
Following the unrest, LPU suspended regular classes for 10 days from September 28.
Mid-term examinations have also been postponed until further notice.
Students have been allowed to return home after consulting their parents or guardians.
Those remaining on campus have been advised to stay inside their hostels or residences and avoid unnecessary movement.
The university has also maintained a heightened security presence on campus as students continue to leave for their homes.
Internet services in the area have reportedly been suspended amid efforts by the authorities to prevent the spread of rumours and unverified information.
Several videos related to the unrest have circulated on social media, purportedly showing vandalism and other incidents on the campus.
The authenticity and context of individual videos cannot be independently established.
The police investigation into the sexual assault allegation is continuing, while authorities are separately examining the violence, property damage and other incidents that occurred during the protests.
–IANS
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