Patiala: Unverified social media claims alleging that two girl students had died by suicide on campus triggered student protests and clashes at Chitkara University near Rajpura on Friday night, police said on Saturday.
The unrest erupted after posts began circulating across student groups on social media platforms, alleging that two fresher students had committed suicide in a campus hostel and claiming the administration was attempting to cover up the incident. Citing a lack of clear communication from campus management, a large group of students assembled to demand answers. The demonstration escalated into vandalism, with protesters smashing window panes, damaging university infrastructure, attacking responding police vehicles, and manhandling officers on the scene. Dr Sharanpreet Goraya, the senior medical officer at Civil Hospital, Rajpura, also verified that no post-mortem examinations involving university students had been conducted in recent days. When reached for comment, Chitkara University registrar Col Rakesh Sharma (retd) dismissed the suicide allegations, stating that the situation on campus was fine and describing the circulating reports as baseless rumours. In an official public appeal, the university administration urged students not to pay heed to unverified stories circulating in private groups, assuring them that local authorities and police were working alongside campus staff to address concerns.
The claims gained traction after students reported hearing screams on the night of September 24 and spotting two ambulances on the premises. The administration added that all scheduled academic and placement activities were proceeding as planned on Saturday.
