Police have arrested two former students of Chitkara University for allegedly spreading misleading information on social media that triggered panic among students and led to violent protests on the university’s Rajpura campus during the intervening night of September 25 and 26.
The accused have been identified as Himanshu, a resident of Nangal, and Aryan of Ambala. Police allege that the duo circulated messages through various social media groups claiming that two female students had died by suicide and that their bodies were missing. The messages allegedly created fear and anger among students and contributed to the escalation of the situation on the campus.
Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans confirmed the arrests and said investigators were examining all possible aspects of the incident, including the possible involvement of university students.
“We are not ruling out the role of students of the university. All possible angles are being investigated to ascertain what led to the incident,” Hans said.
Ten others named in FIR
Police said 10 other people have been nominated in the FIR in connection with the incident. According to Banur deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sukhdev Singh, those named include former students and their associates.
{{/usCountry}}Police said 10 other people have been nominated in the FIR in connection with the incident. According to Banur deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sukhdev Singh, those named include former students and their associates.
{{/usCountry}}The DSP declined to disclose their identities, citing the ongoing investigation. He said police teams were conducting raids at several locations to trace and arrest the other accused.
The FIR was registered at Banur police station on September 29 under Sections 109, 127(2), 221, 132, 126(2), 351(2)/(3), 194(2), 191(3), 190 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The charges invoked include provisions relating to alleged attempt to murder, wrongful confinement, assault or use of criminal force against public servants, criminal intimidation, rioting and unlawful assembly, among other offences.
Rumours triggered panic
According to the police investigation, the unrest began after rumours spread through social media platforms and groups claiming that two girl students had allegedly died by suicide and that their bodies could not be found.
The claims reportedly caused panic and anger among students, eventually leading to a protest on the university campus. As the situation deteriorated, the protest allegedly turned violent.
Police personnel who reached the campus were allegedly manhandled by members of the protesting crowd. Vandalism was also reported on the campus, while several police vehicles were allegedly damaged during the unrest.
Police subsequently intervened to control the situation and restore order on the campus.
Police examining social media trail
Following the violence, investigators began examining messages, posts and other material circulated on social media to identify individuals who allegedly spread the rumours or instigated students.
Police are also looking into the sequence of events leading up to the protest and are attempting to determine how the rumours spread and how they contributed to the escalation of the situation.
“The investigation is also focusing on identifying other individuals who may have spread misinformation or instigated students,” the SSP said.
Investigators are examining the possible involvement of people beyond the two arrested former students and the 10 persons already named in the FIR.
Varsity students also under scanner
Police have not ruled out the involvement of university students. Officials said they were examining whether any current students participated in spreading the alleged misinformation, helped mobilise protesters or otherwise contributed to the violence.
The investigation is aimed at determining whether the unrest was triggered solely by the alleged social media misinformation or whether other individuals and factors played a role in the escalation.