PHAGWARA — Tensions continue to run high at Lovely Professional University (LPU) as widespread student demonstrations entered their second phase on Sunday, despite Punjab Police officially filing a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the alleged sexual assault of a female resident scholar. Repeated rounds of formal negotiations between agitated student representatives and the university administration have so far failed to break the impasse, prompting law enforcement to assemble heavy deployments outside the campus to prevent further disruption of vehicular traffic along the national highway.
The unrest, which began late Saturday night following circulating reports concerning an incident in the university’s G-3 hostel three days prior, saw student groups block the arterial Jalandhar-Delhi corridor. Although officials registered the FIR after recording the complainant’s statement, dialogue remained stalled due to conflicting demands between different factions of protesting students stationed inside and outside the varsity gates. While some student groups focused strictly on administrative action regarding the assault probe, others raised broader grievances concerning living conditions, institutional accountability, and safety oversight in both men’s and women’s residential quarters.
Addressing the escalating developments, Jalandhar Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Naveen Singla confirmed that a formal complaint has been registered and that a special investigation team will conduct a thorough, scientific probe. The inquiry will scrutinize digital evidence, closed-circuit television recordings, and mobile phone telemetry to identify the culprits. DIG Singla also stated that investigators have initiated a separate inquiry into the suicide of a female student from Telangana that occurred on campus two weeks ago, following persistent demands raised by the student body during Sunday’s demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Lovely Professional University Vice Chancellor Dr. Jaspal Singh Sandhu issued a stern warning, maintaining that the administration is extending full cooperation to law enforcement agencies and asserting that any wrongdoer found guilty will face strict legal consequences. The varsity management noted that five student representatives have been incorporated into the consultative framework surrounding the inquiry. With recurrent blockades threatening long-distance transit and campus stability, senior police forces remain on standby around the periphery to manage the situation and deter further public disruption.
