- Two students linked to Punjab's LPU vandalism arrested from Jammu region
- Protests erupted over unverified rape claim, leading to violence and property damage
- Punjab Police intensified raids in J&K to arrest suspects involved in campus violence
Two students, allegedly involved in large-scale vandalism inside the Lovely Professional University (LPU) campus in Punjab, have been arrested from Doda and Pouni Chak area of the Jammu region.
The arrests come days after protesting students, along with some outsiders, went on a rampage inside LPU, Phagwara, smashing property and setting police vehicles on fire, alleging that a student was raped inside the college hostel. Punjab Police has now intensified its crackdown, raiding multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a joint operation with J&K Police, Punjab Police arrested LPU student Sahil Singh from Koti village in Doda district, while another person identified as Antariksh was picked up from Pouni Chak area of Jammu, for their alleged role in the violent protest.
Four students, including one from Maharashtra, are under police scanner. Multiple raids were conducted across J&K on Friday to trace them.
Sources said the Punjab Police has intensified the manhunt for a third student identified as Farhat Dev.
Police had specific inputs that Farhat Dev, another LPU student from Kishtwar, had fled Phagwara and was hiding at his relative's place in Doda. However, before the police team could reach, he managed to escape. A manhunt for him has been further intensified.
The action comes after multiple videos emerged purportedly showing Farhat, Sahil and Antariksh actively involved in violence during the protests on September 27-28.
Farhat had earlier issued a statement on social media distancing himself from the destruction, claiming the videos being circulated do not provide the full context.
How The Protest Started
What started as a whisper on Reddit turned into a full-blown campus siege.
The unrest broke out on the intervening night of September 26-27 near Girls Hostel-3 after an unverified post claimed that a student was raped on campus and later died by suicide.
Agitated students initially gathered for a peaceful protest demanding answers, but it soon spiralled out of control. Over 2,000 students blocked the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway (NH-44) for over 15 hours, vandalised university property, smashed window panes, looted shops at Uni Mall, set two police vehicles on fire and damaged CCTV cameras. Several cops and journalists were injured in heavy stone pelting.
LPU administration has termed the rape allegation as false and fabricated rumours aimed to create unrest to tarnish image of the university.
Punjab Police has constituted a 7-member special team to probe the matter. The university has suspended classes for 10 days from September 28 and postponed mid-term examinations.
Investigation So Far
Police are now scanning CCTV footage and social media videos showing masked students resorting to vandalism. Identities are being established through facial recognition and tower dump analysis.
The Cyber Cell of Punjab Police has taken tower dump data and is trying to trace IP addresses to find out how the unverified post went viral and who amplified it. Data of the accused students has been sought from LPU management for verification.
