Police Find No Evidence Behind LPU Assault or Suicide Rumours

Police said they had found no evidence or received any complaint supporting social-media allegations of sexual assault or suicide at Lovely Professional University in Punjab, after rumours prompted student protests, property damage and a highway blockade. Authorities said the protest was brought under control and the highway reopened, while discussions between students and university administrators continued. The unrest unfolded late Saturday near the university campus in Phagwara, in Punjab’s Jalandhar district. Social-media posts circulated competing claims that a female student had been sexually assaulted or had died by suicide. Police said the allegations remained unsubstantiated and that their inquiry was continuing. Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said police had received no complaint about the alleged incident and had found no evidence to corroborate either claim. He said the protest caused extensive damage to university property. Reports described students damaging campus property and setting parts of a building on fire. Students also blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, disrupting traffic, before police cleared the road.