Students at Punjab’s Lovely Professional University (LPU) recounted the night of unrest, with one describing it as “horrific” while another expressed concerns over safety.
Protests and violence erupted at LPU on Sunday after students staged demonstrations over claims that a student was raped on campus and subsequently died by suicide.
On Monday morning, several videos emerged from the campus showing students leaving for their hometowns amid the unrest and heavy police deployment at the university. Follow LPU protest live updates here.
Deep Dive
What incidents of violence occurred at LPU during the protests?
Why did LPU postpone mid-term examinations and suspend classes?
How are students at LPU feeling about their safety after the unrest?
LPU has postponed the mid-term examinations until further notice and has suspended regular classes for 10 days starting Monday, news agency ANI reported.
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‘Horrific scenes, miscreants entered campus’
A student identified as Vishal Kumar said the situation was normal until Sunday morning but deteriorated after nightfall.
"Until yesterday morning, the situation was normal; students were protesting. But as night fell, a large number of people came from outside wearing masks, and it turned violent," Kumar told ANI.
{{/usCountry}}"Until yesterday morning, the situation was normal; students were protesting. But as night fell, a large number of people came from outside wearing masks, and it turned violent," Kumar told ANI.
{{/usCountry}}Kumar described the scene from last night as "horrific."
“There was so much violence at night. Then we got a message from the University about the 10-day holiday. Everyone is leaving for home now. Safety is an issue. The scenes last night were horrific. We are now going home; that is a safe option,” he added.
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A student told news agency PTI that some miscreants entered the campus last night and caused vandalism. He also said that the students were worried that the alleged miscreants may enter the hostel.
"Initially, the protest was over allegations that a girl had been raped. But what happened last night, when some miscreants entered the campus and caused vandalism and set things on fire, was wrong. Now, because of that, we are also worried that they might enter the hostel, so we are going home. We will return once the situation improves," the student said.
‘Not sure if everything will be normal in 10 days’
A third student said the university administration had informed them that university buildings were damaged.
“According to the interaction we had with the administration, we were told that amid the ruckus last night, the main buildings of Computer Science on the campus were vandalised and set on fire, which is why we were granted a 10-day holiday,” ANI quoted the student as saying.
The student added, "We are feeling safe right now, but we are not sure if everything will be normal after 10 days, or if online classes will be held because the classes were vandalised to a great extent last night."
Furthermore, a student told ANI that the university had informed about the suspension of classes and postponement of examinations.
“We received the notice yesterday... Everything is peaceful inside the campus... Exams have been postponed, and the regular classes were suspended. If everything goes well, normalcy might return within 1-2 weeks,” the student said.
Also Read | Minimum force used against protesting students, but vandals to face action: Punjab DGP at LPU
‘Students fought with goons’
A student alleged that some students fought with the "goons" and that several university properties had been damaged, ANI report added.
"This protest is going on for the girls, but the girls themselves don't feel safe inside... A lot of students fought with the goons, who have completely destroyed the University hall, set fire to the CS building, and broken the admission block... They even broke the trophies the students won," the student alleged.
Another student, Karan, said the situation was peaceful on Monday due to heavy police presence.
He further alleged that people from outside entered the campus, damaged departments and set trees on fire. He also claimed that some people entered the girls' hostel carrying knives, the report said.
(with inputs from agencies)