A student has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the large-scale vandalism, arson, and looting that recently shook the Lovely Professional University campus in Phagwara.
The public interest litigation, initiated by undergraduate engineering student Ravi Raj, urges judicial intervention following violent disturbances that broke out during campus protests. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor is scheduled to take up the petition on Wednesday.
Plea Seeks Federal Inquiry And Digital Regulations
Alongside petitioning for a federal investigation into the violence, the plea calls for the strict enforcement of statutory Information Technology Act provisions to curb the circulation of unverified rumours. The petitioner also requested the deployment of adequate security arrangements around the university premises to prevent future lapses.
According to the petition, the unrest was sparked on the night of September 26 after an unverified social media post circulated among students, claiming that a female student had been sexually assaulted on the campus and subsequently sent home. The claim led to an assembly of students outside the women’s hostel, culminating in a massive demonstration on Sunday that obstructed traffic along National Highway-44, the New Delhi-Amritsar Highway.
Armed Intruders Storm Campus Amid Agitation
The court petition states that the demonstration was hijacked when a substantial group of masked outsiders, armed with swords, sickles, and iron rods, converged on the institution. The intruders forced open the main gates, destroyed surveillance equipment, set fires across various campus locations, and targeted commercial establishments.
Commercial tenants operating within the campus shopping complex, Uni Mall, sustained extensive financial damage. Shopkeepers stated that masked individuals used iron rods to force open store shutters and carry away merchandise while the broader protest was underway.
Heavy Commercial Losses In Uni Mall
Multiple business operators reported losses running into lakhs of rupees. One mobile retailer stated that intruders decamped with handsets, flash drives, and memory cards after breaking the shop locks, while also destroying on-site security cameras and stealing the digital video recorder unit. Another electronics merchant reported that their entire stock had been wiped out, and a worker at an on-campus departmental store reported substantial financial harm after cosmetics and other retail goods were looted.
Unverified video recordings surfaced on social media platforms depicting masked groups ransacking commercial facilities during the turmoil. A stationery shop located within the same complex was reportedly left undamaged.
Police Probe Underway As Campus Empties
A degree of calm returned to the university grounds on Monday after administrators announced a 10-day suspension of academic sessions. The prolonged break led to a significant exodus of students travelling back to their home towns.
Law enforcement authorities have begun reviewing available closed-circuit television recordings to establish the sequence of events and identify the perpetrators. Addressing questions regarding footage of masked suspects vandalising campus outlets and whether those involved were students or external agitators, Additional Director General of Police Praveen Sinha stated that the investigation is actively progressing, affirming that all individuals responsible will be identified and face appropriate legal proceedings.
