LPU students block highway and damage property over unverified rape claim

Students at Lovely Professional University took to the streets after rumours circulated of a rape incident on campus, blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara national highway and damaging property during a volatile demonstration that drew a heavy police response.

Authorities said the allegations were unverified and that no formal complaint of such a crime had been registered. Officers were deployed in large numbers to restore order, disperse the crowd and address the grievances raised by the agitating students.

Protestors set fire to objects during the unrest, compounding disruption to commuters on the busy national highway. Police worked to bring the situation under control as tensions remained high on and around the university campus.

The incident is the latest in a series of student-led protests to have disrupted public order in Punjab in recent weeks. Authorities urged students to refrain from violence and to allow investigators to establish the facts before taking to the streets.