The Punjab police have decided to close the investigation into an FIR registered in Kapurthala on allegations of rape of a student on Lovely Professional University (LPU) campus that had triggered widespread violence and vandalism last month.
The affidavit came in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking probe by an independent agency into the violence reported on the LPU campus. However, the police told the court that there was no common link between the violence reported in these two universities. A masked mob allegedly vandalised university property, set fire to campus buildings and damaged police vehicles. From the investigation, conducted jointly in the events that took place at both the universities, it has emerged that while the Chitkara University incident was a result of a spontaneous rumor circulated on sighting of an ambulance in the university campus that was quickly linked to alleged suicide by two female students. However, further examination showed that the numbers belonged to Chitkara University students who had left the campus once the protests started there and they happened to cross LPU during their travel at that point of time. Most of these were on their way back home. The police have probed the common link angle following the high court questioning the police on this aspect during the hearing of the PIL.
The violence broke out on September 26 after unverified reports circulated alleging that an outsider had raped a female student at the university. Protesters also allegedly pelted police personnel with stones and glass bottles before blocking the Amritsar-Delhi National Highway (NH-44). The vandalism caused an estimated ₹ 30 crore in damage to property on and around the campus. The rape probe was conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) and statements of 50 persons were taken along with CCTV footage scans, according to police. A day before the LPU incident, violence was reported on the campus of Chitkara University, Rajpura, on September 25-26, allegedly triggered by some fake posts. The police said the analysis of tower dump data revealed that 24 mobile phones were active in both universities.
In an affidavit to the Punjab and Haryana high court, Inspector General of Police (IGP- counter intelligence) Ashish Choudhary said that after investigation police have prepared a cancellation report in the FIR and would file it before the competent court. The examination of the digital devices was also done and ultimately found that the allegations of alleged rape were completely “unfounded and false”. “no material evidence came on record which could suggest or establish the occurrence of rape …or any such evidence which could help in identification of the victim,” the affidavit said, adding that the SIT has concluded its investigation and has prepared a cancellation report. On the other hand, the LPU incident was sparked by a rumor that had been “circulating, simmering and gaining traction for a number of days before it actually escalated into a protest that turned violent”. “The investigation has established that there were rumors of rape in LPU which pre-dates 20.09.2026, much earlier than the protest at Chitkara University or LPU…there is nothing to suggest, so far, that the LPU incident succeeded the Chitkara University incident on account of any common intention, link or a conspiracy or vice-versa,” the affidavit added.
