LPU Unrest: Nine Arrested, 20 Named as Punjab Police Deny Lathi-Charge

The Punjab Police on Thursday said they have arrested nine people — seven Lovely Professional University students, including a juvenile, and two outsiders — in connection with the violent unrest that rocked the LPU campus in Phagwara on September 27. Twenty individuals have been identified and named as accused in the case. The development marks the latest chapter in a saga Jugti News has been tracking since the first FIRs were filed and remands began.

Nine arrested, 20 named

Addressing a press conference in Jalandhar, Deputy Inspector General (Jalandhar range) Naveen Singla — accompanied by Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora and SIT in-charge Vaneet Ahlawat — said the arrests followed an FIR-based investigation that tracked suspects to Phagwara, Jammu and Mumbai. Of the nine arrested, seven are students of the university, one of them a juvenile, while the remaining two are outsiders. Investigators have identified 20 individuals involved in the rioting and formally named them.

The unrest began after viral social media posts alleged that an outsider had sexually assaulted a female student inside the girls' hostel, triggering intense agitation. Students gathered in large numbers demanding accountability, security overhauls and action from the university authorities. The university has consistently denied the allegations, calling them false, baseless and fabricated rumours.

Police deny initiating lathi-charge

Refuting claims of police high-handedness, DIG Singla clarified that personnel did not initiate any lathi-charge. He said the police had initially been coordinating with the media and students to send an assuring message that the administration stood with them. According to the senior officer, the damage was initially minimal when police units arrived on campus — but a section of the crowd suddenly turned violent, pelting stones at police and media personnel, vandalising property and setting multiple vehicles on fire. Police teams were then compelled to use minimal force to disperse the violent mob and restore order.

Campus shut, internet snapped

To restore order and prevent the further spread of misinformation, university authorities suspended physical classes for 10 days and postponed mid-term examinations, while the local administration temporarily cut internet access around the campus radius. The clashes spilt onto the New Delhi-Amritsar National Highway, where protesters blocked traffic for hours.

Probe widens to the viral message's origin

On the alleged sexual assault that triggered the agitation, Singla said a dedicated Special Investigation Team is conducting an impartial and thorough probe to establish the facts. Authorities and law enforcement agencies are tracing the origin of the digital posts and investigating potential cross-border or political links behind the coordinated disruption, ANI reported.