AAP says Punjab Police handled LPU situation professionally

Amid unrest at Lovely Professional University following serious allegations, AAP's Baltej Singh Pannu praised Punjab Police for their restraint.

AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Singh Pannu said Monday that Punjab Police handled the situation at Lovely Professional University professionally, while a Special Investigation Team continues to examine the incidents.

As a Special Investigation Team investigates, the focus remains on student safety and the truth behind the controversial incidents igniting the protests.

The matter involved students from Punjab, other states and other countries. Pannu said the government’s priority was the safety of every student studying in Punjab and that the SIT should be allowed to complete its investigation and establish the facts.

“Punjab has become an important education hub, with students coming here from across India and from other countries. A large number of students from Jammu and Kashmir, especially girls pursuing nursing and other courses, study in Punjab’s universities and colleges. Their safety and security are extremely important for us,” Pannu said at a press conference.

Referring to the incidents at LPU and Chitkara University, Pannu said that even after the highway was blocked, police did not use batons or pellet guns against students. He said they were treated like the police’s own sons and daughters.

He said the SIT would examine the allegations and circumstances surrounding the unrest. Information emerging from the investigation would be shared with the public through senior police officers and the government, he said.

Pannu also criticised opposition leaders, accusing them of politicising a sensitive matter involving students. On videos alleging armed outsiders had entered the university, he said senior police officers had clarified that those shown were not unidentified attackers.

Pannu said the government would ensure students’ concerns were heard and the matter was investigated fairly. He added that those responsible for vandalism and damage to property would face action according to law.

What actually happened

Protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) erupted after students alleged that a female student was raped by a construction worker inside a university hostel and later died by suicide at her home. Students also alleged that the hostel warden asked the student to leave for home instead of informing the police. LPU denied the rape-suicide allegation and said “anti-social elements” were creating confusion and disturbing the academic environment. Police subsequently continued investigating the allegations, including examining digital and technical evidence, the hostel premises and CCTV footage.

Why there was an unrest

The issue escalated into large student protests, with demonstrators demanding an FIR against the alleged accused. A mob allegedly vandalised campus property, set parts of buildings on fire and blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway. The unrest was further complicated by conflicting accounts after LPU released a video featuring three students who appeared to deny that the alleged incident had occurred in their room. The students later alleged that they had been instructed what to say and that portions of the video were edited and posted without their consent.