Police on Saturday arrested a student of Chitkara University for allegedly spreading misleading messages on social media that triggered panic and fuelled violent protests on the university’s Rajpura campus last week.
The accused, Parth Mehta, a resident of Fatehabad in Haryana, was arrested a day after police apprehended two former students of the university, Himanshu, a resident of Nangal, and Aryan, from Ambala, on Friday for allegedly circulating false messages claiming that two female students had died by suicide and their bodies were missing.
With Mehta’s arrest, the number of accused arrested in the case has risen to three. Police have nominated 12 people in the FIR and are investigating the role of the remaining accused, including former students and their associates.
Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans confirmed that Mehta was studying at Chitkara University.
According to police, Mehta allegedly circulated fake and misleading messages through social media platforms and messaging applications to instigate students. The messages, circulated during the intervening night of September 25 and 26, allegedly triggered panic and anger among students, leading to protests that subsequently turned violent.
Police personnel who reached the campus to control the situation were allegedly manhandled, while vandalism and damage to several police vehicles were also reported.
{{/usCountry}}Police personnel who reached the campus to control the situation were allegedly manhandled, while vandalism and damage to several police vehicles were also reported.
{{/usCountry}}Mehta has, thus, also been booked in connection with alleged damage to public property and obstruction of public servants in the discharge of their official duties.
The FIR registered at the Banur police station on September 29 has invoked 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) for offences relating to attempt to murder, wrongful confinement, assault or use of criminal force against public servants, criminal intimidation, rioting and unlawful assembly, among others.
Banur deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sukhdev Singh said, “We appeal to students not to believe on rumours. Parents should also counsel their children regularly and ensure that they do not indulge in violence,” the DSP said.
Police said further investigation was underway to trace the origin of the misleading messages, identify others involved in spreading misinformation and establish the sequence of events that led to the violence.