Classes have been suspended at one of India’s largest private universities after an unverified allegation that a female student was raped on campus triggered protests that later turned violent.
Police say they have registered a case and are investigating whether last week’s alleged rape at Lovely Professional University (LPU) actually occurred. The university has categorically denied the allegation.
Police say no student has come forward to report being assaulted, while investigators have yet to identify the alleged victim or the perpetrator. CCTV footage examined so far has also produced no evidence of an attack.
However, rumours circulating in student WhatsApp groups sparked unrest over the weekend at the sprawling 600-acre university in Punjab, which attracts students from India and abroad.
Founded in 2005 by a family whose business began with a small sweet shop, LPU has expanded into a largely self-contained campus of hostels and lecture halls, with thousands of young people living there.
Images and videos showed vehicles on fire, crowds gathering on a major highway and police wielding canes as the unrest spread beyond the university gates. Police vehicles were damaged, officers were injured and parts of the campus were vandalised.
By Monday, the highway had reopened and the campus was calmer, although heavily policed.
University authorities described the claims circulating on social media as false and baseless, but the statement did little to reassure students, with hostels emptying within hours. Key exams were postponed and students were allowed to return home.
Following demands from protesting students, police registered a rape case against “an unidentified person” and formed a seven-member special investigation team, or SIT, to investigate.