CHANDIGARH: Unverified claims circulating on social media triggered large student protests at two prominent private universities in Punjab over the weekend, leading to panic, anger and incidents of violence on both campuses.
The first protest broke out at Chitkara University near Rajpura on Friday night, followed by unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
In both cases, police and university authorities rejected the claims circulating online, saying they had found no evidence to substantiate them and confirming that students were safe.
What happened at Chitkara University?
The first incident emerged on the night of September 25, when social media posts and reels began circulating claims that two female students were missing from a hostel or had died by suicide. Some posts also referred to an alleged “ghost” and claimed that screams had been heard from the hostel.
The claims prompted a late-night protest, with a large number of students gathering on campus and demanding answers from the university administration. Students reportedly sought access to CCTV footage and confronted officials over the allegations.
The protest later turned violent, with damage reported to campus property and an emergency response vehicle belonging to the Punjab Police. The vehicle’s windscreen was reportedly smashed.
Chitkara University Registrar Col Rakesh Sharma (retd) and local police officials spoke to the protesting students and rejected the claims. Police officials also indicated that students demanding action were unable to provide the names or identities of the alleged missing students.
The university and police said there had been no such death and that no student was missing.
Similar unrest at LPU within 24 hours
The following day, a similar situation developed at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara.
Unverified social media messages began circulating on Saturday night alleging that an outsider had raped a female student on the campus. Some versions of the claim further suggested that the student had died by suicide.
The posts triggered panic among students, who gathered near the girls’ hostel in the early hours of Sunday.
The situation subsequently escalated, with protesters reportedly throwing bricks, smashing window panes and setting objects on fire inside the campus. Protesters also damaged campus gates and blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway, disrupting traffic.
A large police contingent was deployed to bring the situation under control.
Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said a preliminary inquiry had found no evidence supporting the allegations and that no official complaint regarding the alleged rape had been received. Police said the situation was under control and that they were monitoring developments both on the campus and across social media platforms.
Students also raise wider concerns
While the immediate trigger for both protests was the circulation of unverified claims online, police officials said conversations with students also highlighted concerns about campus administration and communication.
According to police, some students complained that their routine grievances were not being addressed adequately by the university administrations.
The incidents have consequently raised concerns about how unverified information can spread rapidly among thousands of students and escalate into unrest before facts are established.
Police are monitoring online platforms to prevent the spread of provocative misinformation and have urged students not to share unverified claims.
University authorities and police have also appealed to students to rely on official communication before acting on social media posts.
Although the protests at the two universities occurred within roughly 24 hours of each other, there is no official evidence establishing a connection between the incidents beyond the similar pattern of unverified claims circulating online.
