LPU Protests Explained: What Happened at Lovely Professional University?

Students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, Punjab, staged protests on September 27 after allegations of a sexual assault involving a female student surfaced on campus. The protests later turned violent, with incidents of vandalism, arson and clashes with police.

The protests reportedly began near Girls’ Hostel-3 after students raised concerns about an alleged assault. Students questioned the university’s handling of the matter and demanded an investigation and better security arrangements at the hostels.

Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegations. Police said CCTV footage, forensic evidence and other material will be examined before reaching any conclusion. The allegation has not been established as fact.

LPU has denied that the alleged assault took place on campus and described the reports as false and baseless. The university also released a video involving students from the hostel room mentioned in the allegations, in which they denied that such an incident had occurred.

During the unrest, protesters damaged campus property and blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway. Police were deployed in large numbers after clashes broke out, and the highway was later reopened.

Students also raised concerns about hostel safety and demanded stronger security measures, including women-only staff in girls’ hostels. Meanwhile, LPU suspended regular classes for 10 days from September 28 and postponed the mid-term examinations until further notice.

The investigation into the allegations and the events surrounding the protests is continuing.