LPU student protest: Jalandhar highway blocked over rape rumours on campus
Synopsis
Two Punjab private universities — LPU in Jalandhar and Chitkara in Patiala — saw major student protests within 48 hours, both sparked by unverified social media rumours. At LPU, hundreds blocked a national highway and damaged property; police had confirmed no assault complaint. The back-to-back incidents expose how misinformation online can ignite large-scale campus disorder faster than institutions can respond.
Key Takeaways
Hundreds of students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) , Jalandhar , protested late on 27 September over unverified social media rumours of a rape on campus.
Protesters blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway for several hours and damaged and set fire to campus property.
LPU Registrar Monica Gulati denied all allegations, attributing the rumours to 'anti-social elements' seeking to tarnish the university's reputation.
Police had confirmed no rape complaint at the time of reporting; the alleged assault was not independently verified.
The incident follows a near-identical protest at Chitkara University , Rajpura , Patiala , just two days earlier , triggered by unverified missing-student rumours.
Both cases highlight the risk of social media misinformation triggering large-scale campus unrest before official verification.
Hundreds of students at Lovely Professional University (LPU), located on the outskirts of Jalandhar in Punjab, staged a late-night protest on Sunday, 27 September after unverified rumours spread on social media alleging that a female student had been sexually assaulted on campus by an outsider. Protesters blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara section of the National Highway for several hours, damaged university property, and set fire to some items, according to police and students.
Police had not confirmed any rape complaint at the time this report was filed, and there was no independent verification of the alleged assault.
What Triggered the Unrest
The protest was set off by rumours circulating rapidly on social media alleging a sexual assault had taken place on the LPU campus. Students gathered in large numbers demanding that authorities register a First Information Report (FIR) and conduct a formal investigation. Some protesters alleged that a sexual assault had indeed occurred and accused university authorities of refusing to acknowledge it. Students also claimed that outsiders were behind much of the vandalism that followed.
University Denies Allegations
LPU Registrar Monica Gulati issued a statement flatly rejecting the rumours. 'There is no truth in the rumours currently being circulated,' she said, urging students, parents, and the general public not to believe or amplify the claims and to rely only on information issued through official university channels. Gulati alleged that 'anti-social elements' were deliberately spreading 'false and fabricated information' via social media and other channels to create confusion and disrupt the academic environment. She described the circulation of such content as a calculated attempt to malign the university's reputation.
Second Major Protest at a Punjab University in Two Days
The LPU incident is the second major student protest at a private university in Punjab within 48 hours. On the night of Friday, 25 September, hundreds of students at Chitkara University in Rajpura, Patiala district, took to the streets after unverified social media posts claimed two female students had gone missing. That protest escalated into clashes with police, damage to two police vehicles, and extensive property damage on campus.
The Misinformation Pattern
Both incidents underscore a troubling pattern: unverified content on social media platforms is triggering rapid, large-scale student mobilisation with real-world consequences — vandalism, highway blockades, and public disorder — before authorities are able to verify or refute the underlying claims. Authorities at both universities were continuing to assess the situation and investigate the social media claims at the time of reporting. This is the second such episode in Punjab's private university belt in as many days, raising concerns about institutional communication channels and platform-speed rumours outpacing official response.
What Happens Next
Police were present at the LPU campus and working to restore order. No FIR related to the alleged assault had been registered as of the time of filing. Whether authorities proceed with any investigation into either the alleged assault or the property damage will be closely watched. The speed and scale of both protests are likely to prompt scrutiny of how Punjab's universities and law enforcement handle social-media-driven unrest going forward.
Point of View
Both triggered by unverified social media rumours, point to a structural failure: Punjab's private universities lack credible, fast-response communication protocols that students actually trust. The pattern is not random — large residential campuses with tens of thousands of students are high-tinder environments where a single viral post can outrun institutional response time. What is missing is not policing but trusted information architecture. Until universities can counter a rumour in real time with transparent, verifiable updates, the cycle will repeat. The larger question — whether any of the underlying allegations contain a kernel of truth — remains unanswered and demands independent scrutiny, not institutional denial alone.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at LPU in Jalandhar on 27 September 2026?
Hundreds of students at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar staged a late-night protest on 27 September after rumours spread on social media alleging a female student had been raped on campus by an outsider. Protesters blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway for several hours and damaged campus property, including setting some items on fire.
Has a rape been confirmed at LPU?
No. Police had not confirmed any rape complaint at the time of filing the report, and there was no independent verification of the alleged assault. LPU Registrar Monica Gulati also denied the rumours, calling them false and fabricated.
What did LPU say about the protests?
LPU Registrar Monica Gulati issued a statement saying 'There is no truth in the rumours currently being circulated.' She alleged that anti-social elements were deliberately spreading false information to disrupt the academic environment and malign the university's reputation, and urged students and parents to rely only on official university communications.
What happened at Chitkara University and how is it connected?
Just two days before the LPU incident, hundreds of students at Chitkara University in Rajpura, Patiala district, protested after unverified social media posts claimed two female students were missing. That protest escalated into police clashes and property damage. The back-to-back incidents at two major Punjab private universities have raised alarm about social media misinformation triggering campus disorder.
What are students demanding?
Protesting students at LPU demanded that authorities register an FIR and conduct a formal investigation into the alleged assault. Some accused university authorities of refusing to acknowledge the incident, while others also alleged that outsiders were responsible for the vandalism during the protest.
