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LPU campus chaos triggers political slugfest
The violence in Phagwara’s Lovely Professional University following allegations of a woman student being raped on campus snowballed into a political slugfest on Monday, with opposition parties targeting Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over law and order and alleging police laxity
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The violence in Phagwara’s Lovely Professional University following allegations of a woman student being raped on campus snowballed into a political slugfest on Monday, with opposition parties targeting Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over law and order and alleging police laxity.
The AAP rejected the allegations, saying Punjab Police handled the situation with restraint and professionalism.
LPU students went on a rampage on the campus late Saturday, vandalising property and blocking a stretch of the New Delhi-Amritsar highway outside their campus over claims that a female student was raped on the premises. Another wave of violence erupted on Sunday evening. The incident came a day after a huge protest by students of Chitkara University in Patiala on Friday night, who allegedly set a police vehicle afire over unverified claims that two female students committed suicide on the campus.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday demanded an independent probe into the campus violence, saying there appeared to be a pattern in the unrest at the two universities—LPU and Chitkara.
“The government has been caught unawares once again as it remains clueless about the cause of the violence. The spontaneous violence in two private university campuses in Punjab within a span of a few days was an ominous sign and was yet another example of the complete collapse of law and order in the state,” Warring said. “Only an impartial and independent probe can establish the truth. It is important to address the concerns of the students about their safety, particularly that of the girl students,” Warring said.
Senior Akali leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal condemned the alleged lathicharge on LPU students by police.
“Unprecedented scenes were witnessed at LPU in Phagwara last night. I strongly condemn what the police claim to be a ‘mild’ lathicharge! Because what can be clearly seen in these visuals are youth, especially girls, being brutally hit, dragged, abused, pushed on the ground by ‘Men In Khakhi’ who report directly to the home/chief minister,” she said in a post on X.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday alleged that the violence at LPU was orchestrated by the AAP to settle political scores.
Addressing a rally in Rajasansi, Badal claimed the unrest was a vengeful act targeting LPU founding chancellor Ashok Kumar Mittal and sought an independent probe into the incident.
BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu alleged that the AAP was “rattled” by the support for the BJP’s anti-drug yatras and accused the Mann government of “allowing riots” in Jalandhar to disturb Union home minister Amit Shah’s scheduled rally on September 30. Shah is slated to address the rally to mark the culmination of the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’.
Bittu claimed that police adopted a “lax” approach, allowing miscreants to indulge in arson and vandalism and leaving police personnel and students injured.
Oppn politicising the issue: AAP
The AAP on Monday said the situation at LPU was handled by Punjab Police with restraint and professionalism.
Addressing a press conference, AAP’s Punjab media in-charge Baltej Singh Pannu said the government’s priority was the safety of every student studying in Punjab and that the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the matter should be allowed to complete its investigation and establish the facts.
“When the situation escalated, and the highway was blocked, the Punjab Police did not use excessive force against the students. No force like batons or pellet guns was used against them. Instead, they were treated like our own sons and daughters. It took some time, but the situation was handled professionally,” Pannu said, referring to the incidents at LPU and Chitkara University.
He said the SIT was examining the allegations as well as the circumstances surrounding the unrest. He also criticised opposition leaders for “politicising” a sensitive matter involving students. He said while the government would ensure that students’ concerns were heard and the matter was investigated, those responsible for vandalism and damage to property would face action in accordance with the law.
