Court directs Punjab government and Jalandhar Police Commissioner to report on investigation into vandalism, arson and alleged looting following unrest at Lovely Professional University.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a status report from the Punjab government and Jalandhar Police Commissioner regarding violence, vandalism, arson and alleged looting at Lovely Professional University (LPU).
The directions were issued on Wednesday, September 30, during an urgent hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an LPU student seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.
The petitioner argued that the scale of violence at one of Punjab’s largest universities, located along a national highway, raised broader security concerns. The petition also cited a similar incident at Chitkara University days earlier and called for an investigation into whether the two incidents were connected.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice’s Bench emphasized the need to establish the sequence of events and determine the circumstances that triggered the unrest.
The court observed that if the violence originated from a social media post described as fake, investigators must identify its source and establish how it contributed to the subsequent incidents.
Authorities have been directed to submit details of the ongoing investigation, action taken so far and efforts to identify those responsible for the destruction of university property.
The unrest reportedly erupted following allegations of a student’s rape. Police registered a criminal case to investigate the allegation but had not confirmed at that stage whether the alleged assault had occurred.
The subsequent violence involved extensive damage to university property, vandalism, alleged looting and arson, prompting LPU to suspend classes and other academic activities for 10 days beginning September 28.
The High Court will take up the matter again after receiving the requested status reports.
