Chandigarh, September 30: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab government to file a status report on the ongoing investigation into the violence, arson and vandalism at Lovely Professional University (LPU). The case will next be heard on October 8.
The hearing was held on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a university student seeking an independent investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the incidents. Senior advocate Gaurav Chopra and advocate Arjun Sheoran, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that incidents of violence, arson and alleged looting had taken place on the university campus and sought judicial intervention.
The incidents followed the circulation of a rumour regarding the alleged rape of a female student on the campus. On September 26 and 27, incidents of vandalism, alleged looting of shops and arson were reported at the university’s UniMall. Protests also led to the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway being blocked for around 18 hours.
Police have said that the initial investigation did not establish the alleged crime and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the matter.
In view of the situation, the university administration suspended classes and examinations for 10 days from September 28. The Punjab government’s status report is expected to be placed before the High Court at the next hearing on October 8.