Lovely Professional University on the boil: What has led to the students’ protest in Punjab?

The story so far: On the intervening night of September 26 and 27, trouble began at Punjab’s Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara in Kapurthala district, with agitated students going on a rampage inside the campus, after an alleged rumour surfaced that a girl student had been raped on campus.

Scores of protesters, some of them with their faces covered with handkerchiefs, vandalised property inside the campus, damaging window panes, flower pots and setting some objects on fire during the night, according to purported videos on social media platforms.

Debris and charred remains lie scattered on the ground after a protest by students at the Lovely Professional University (LPU) campus, in Phagwara, Punjab, on September 27, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI