Rape claim, university denial, then arson: What we know about Punjab’s LPU protest

Students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab's Phagwara staged a protest, which turned violent, on Sunday. According to The Indian Express, the students were alleging that a girl student had been sexually assaulted by an "outsider" on campus. The university denied the allegation, describing it as "baseless and fabricated rumours".

The protests resulted in damaged property, vandalised shops, and vehicles being set on fire, with the national highway also being blocked. The university responded by suspending classes for 10 days and postponing mid-term examinations. The Punjab police registered an FIR against an unidentified person on charges of rape, but were unable to substantiate the allegation in preliminary investigations.

The police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further probe the matter. According to an officer, the three girls present in the hostel room where the sexual assault was alleged to have occurred denied that any such incident took place. The university advised students to remain inside their hostels or places of residence and avoid unnecessary movement.

Brief written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times, The Indian Express — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.