Punjab Police have arrested 11 people and identified 28 more in connection with the recent mob violence and unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) and Chitkara University, with officers tracing the spread of misleading social media content that allegedly triggered the incidents.
Nine arrests were made in connection with the unrest at LPU, including a minor, police said on Friday. Seven of those arrested are students and two are outsiders, Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said, adding that 20 more people involved in the LPU case have been identified. Arrests were made from locations including Phagwara, Jammu and Mumbai, and some of the accused had allegedly posed as protesters before engaging in arson.
Rumours traced to social media
In the Chitkara University case, Patiala Police arrested two former students for allegedly provoking the unrest through social media rumours. SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans identified them as Aryan Shukla, a 2026 passout arrested in Ambala, and Himanshu, a dropout arrested from his residence in Nangal.
According to the police, the two repeatedly posted misleading content on a page called "Chitkara University Memes" and circulated it through WhatsApp and Instagram groups. Hours before the unrest, they allegedly shared a video of an ambulance claiming two students had died — a claim police say was false. Eight more people who helped spread the rumours have been named, and police teams have been sent to trace them. An FIR was registered at Banur police station.
What triggered the protests
The unrest at both campuses followed allegations involving female students — a claimed sexual assault at LPU and claims of missing students at Chitkara. Police have said no such incident took place at Chitkara. At LPU, a case was registered at the Satnampura police station in Kapurthala and remains under investigation, with CCTV footage being scanned and staff, students and wardens being questioned. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a detailed account of the events, and a student has separately approached the court seeking a CBI probe.
The accused face charges under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including attempt to murder, assault, mischief by fire and robbery, along with the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act, 2014.
Sources:
- Chitkara, LPU violence: 11 arrested, 28 more identified as Punjab Police widen probe into campus unrest (ThePrint): ThePrint
- Juvenile who climbed MiG-23 among 9 held in LPU arson case; 2 nabbed for Rajpura university unrest (The Tribune): The Tribune
Nine arrests were made in connection with the unrest at LPU, including a minor, police said on Friday. Seven of those arrested are students and two are outsiders, Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said, adding that 20 more people involved in the LPU case have been identified. Arrests were made from locations including Phagwara, Jammu and Mumbai, and some of the accused had allegedly posed as protesters before engaging in arson.
Rumours traced to social media
In the Chitkara University case, Patiala Police arrested two former students for allegedly provoking the unrest through social media rumours. SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans identified them as Aryan Shukla, a 2026 passout arrested in Ambala, and Himanshu, a dropout arrested from his residence in Nangal.
According to the police, the two repeatedly posted misleading content on a page called "Chitkara University Memes" and circulated it through WhatsApp and Instagram groups. Hours before the unrest, they allegedly shared a video of an ambulance claiming two students had died — a claim police say was false. Eight more people who helped spread the rumours have been named, and police teams have been sent to trace them. An FIR was registered at Banur police station.
What triggered the protests
The unrest at both campuses followed allegations involving female students — a claimed sexual assault at LPU and claims of missing students at Chitkara. Police have said no such incident took place at Chitkara. At LPU, a case was registered at the Satnampura police station in Kapurthala and remains under investigation, with CCTV footage being scanned and staff, students and wardens being questioned. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a detailed account of the events, and a student has separately approached the court seeking a CBI probe.
The accused face charges under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including attempt to murder, assault, mischief by fire and robbery, along with the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act, 2014.
Sources:
- Chitkara, LPU violence: 11 arrested, 28 more identified as Punjab Police widen probe into campus unrest (ThePrint): ThePrint
- Juvenile who climbed MiG-23 among 9 held in LPU arson case; 2 nabbed for Rajpura university unrest (The Tribune): The Tribune
