Jalandhar: Four days after unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Rajya Sabha member and university Chancellor Ashok Mittal spoke publicly about the incident for the first time, describing the events on campus as a “conspiracy” against the university.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s rally in Jalandhar, Mittal strongly rejected allegations of sexual assault involving a female LPU student, calling the allegations “100 crore per cent” false.
Asked whether he believed LPU had been targeted, Mittal said there was a larger conspiracy behind the incidents at LPU and Chitkara University. He alleged that the objective was to harm Punjab, undermine Hindu-Sikh unity, destabilise the university, damage Punjab’s reputation and economy, and target jobs, pointing out that LPU provides employment to a large number of people.
Mittal also questioned how unverified claims on social media could quickly trigger public reactions. Referring to Reddit, he said a person could post just two lines and then call people to provoke them and question why others were remaining silent.
He questioned whether simply posting something online could make it become accepted as the truth.
