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LPU on boil: Uneasy calm on campus amid heavy police presence; internet suspended, students leave for home
Students head home as classes suspended for 10 days; police probe potential conspiracy behind unrest
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Calm prevailed at Lovely Professional University (LPU) at Phagwara in Kapurthala district of Punjab on Monday, a day after violent unrest erupted on the campus, with Punjab Police securing all academic and hostel blocks,with police saying internet services within a 3-km radius of the campus were suspended to prevent the spread of unverified reports and rumours.
LPU authorities have suspended classes for 10 days from Monday and a large number of students left the campus for their homes.
A significant number of police personnel, supervised by senior superintendents of police (SSPs) from 10 districts, were stationed on the sprawling campus spread over 600 acres.
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Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav and special DGP (law and order) PK Sinha inspected the security arrangements on the directions of chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday morning.
The unrest began on Sunday when a masked mob vandalised university property, torched police vehicles, and set parts of campus buildings on fire following unverified reports that an outsider had raped a female student. Demonstrators blocked the Amritsar-Delhi National Highway-44 for nearly 12 hours, which was reopened on early hours of Monday.
Kapurthala police had registered a rape case under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against unidentified persons, whereas the identity of the victim has also not been established.
Jalandhar DIG Naveen Singla constituted a special investigation team (SIT), headed by the Phagwara superintendent of police.
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Meanwhile, police said they have not ruled out the possibility of an organised effort to destabilise local law and order. LPU vice-chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu said a joint meeting was held between the university administration, the civil and police administration, and students’ representatives. “The students’ representatives were unanimous that the unrest was primarily the result of outsiders entering the campus unlawfully with the intent of disturbing peace. Appropriate action will be taken in accordance with law,” he said.
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