Punjab varsity students protest, block highway over unverified rape report
Students at a private university in Phagwara, India, staged a violent protest following unverified social media rumors regarding an alleged rape on campus. Police have confirmed there is no evidence of such a crime and are investigating the source of the misinformation.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the dangerous real-world consequences of unverified social media rumors and the challenges of maintaining campus security during viral misinformation events.
Students of a private university in Phagwara held a massive protest and went on a rampage on the campus early on Sunday (September 27, 2026) following unverified reports on social media about the alleged rape of a female student.
Police said students gathered at the LPU campus around 2 a.m. and blocked the national highway following allegations that a female student from the G3 hostel had been raped three days earlier.
Naveen Singla, DIG, Jalandhar Range, said police had begun the process of registering an FIR against an unknown person based on the allegations raised by the protesters. He said the probe would include forensic analysis, examination of CCTV footage and phone data, with a Special Investigation Team to be formed to investigate the allegations.
Earlier, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kapurthula, Gaurav Toora, said police have no information about any such crime.
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