Phagwara: Police have arrested three youths in connection with the violence and vandalism at Lovely Professional University (LPU) a few days ago. One of the arrested youths is reportedly an LPU student, while another is said to be a resident of Mohalla Tibbi in Phagwara and works as a delivery worker for Domino’s.
The arrested youths have been identified as Gagan, James Dahiya and Abhi. Police produced them before a Phagwara court, which remanded all three to three days of police custody.
According to police, the suspects were identified after investigators examined digital evidence and video footage. Videos recorded during the violence and clips circulated on social media are being examined to identify others allegedly involved in the incidents.
The violence followed protests at the university after social media posts raised allegations of the alleged rape of a female student. The protests later turned violent, with incidents of vandalism, arson, clashes with police and disruption of traffic on NH-44 being reported.
Gagan’s maternal uncle said the family had not initially been informed about the case in which he was arrested. He said Gagan had been missing since the previous day and contacted the family before his court appearance to inform them about his arrest. Family members subsequently reached the Phagwara court.
The family also said Gagan had no previous criminal case and had been working as a Domino’s delivery worker for around one-and-a-half months. They expressed concern over his arrest.
An official from Satnam Pura police station confirmed the arrest of the three youths but declined to provide details about their alleged roles in the violence.
Police said one of the three arrested youths has been identified as an LPU student. During the police remand, investigators are expected to question the accused about their alleged involvement, their contacts with other individuals and the sequence of events during the violence.
Police are also examining whether some of those allegedly involved have links to other states. CCTV footage, videos and other digital evidence are being used to identify additional suspects.
Separate cases had earlier been registered at Satnam Pura and Sadar Phagwara police stations in connection with the LPU violence, including allegations relating to blocking the highway, clashes with police, vandalism and looting. A special investigation team (SIT) has also been constituted to investigate the incidents.
