A controversy surrounding protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, Punjab, has deepened after three female students featured in a university video later alleged that they had been instructed what to say and that part of their recording was published without their consent.
The university video was released as LPU sought to counter claims circulating among students and on social media that a female student had been sexually assaulted on campus.
The three students live in Room No. 504 of Girls' Hostel 3, a room that had been linked to the circulating allegations.
In the university-released recording, the students denied that such an incident had occurred in their room and asked students and police not to disturb them. Registrar Dr Monika Gulati introduced their statements while addressing the allegations surrounding the campus unrest.
Students later allege they were told what to say
A separate video subsequently emerged in which the same students challenged how their earlier statements had been recorded and published.
One of the students alleged:
“We were just instructed to say that students and others are bothering us.”
She further alleged that part of their recording had been trimmed before being posted online and said their consent had not been obtained for its publication.
Another student said that their room had been named despite them having no involvement in the alleged incident and appealed to people to leave them alone.
These statements amount to allegations by the students about how the university video was produced and distributed. They do not, by themselves, establish whether the underlying sexual-assault allegation occurred.
LPU says allegations circulating online are false
LPU has rejected the sexual-assault claims circulating around the campus.
The university described the information being circulated as “false, baseless and fabricated” and alleged that certain elements were attempting to create confusion among students and damage the institution's reputation.
The university had also presented the statements of the Room 504 residents as part of its response to the allegations.
According to reporting by Moneycontrol, an LPU social-media post accompanying the video stated that it was published with the students' “express consent”. That position conflicts directly with the students' subsequent allegation that their consent was not obtained, making the circumstances surrounding the recording and publication of the video a separate point of dispute.
Police register FIR and form Special Investigation Team
While LPU has denied that the alleged assault occurred, Punjab Police have opened a formal investigation.
The Indian Express reported that police registered an FIR against an unidentified person on rape charges. Police officials said their preliminary investigation had not substantiated the allegation at the location identified by protesting students.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been constituted to investigate the case.
The Tribune reported that the SIT includes Phagwara SP Major Singh, DSP Palwinder Singh, a woman police inspector and student representatives.
Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said digital and technical evidence would be examined as part of the investigation.
The registration of an FIR means the allegation is being formally investigated; it should not be interpreted as proof that the alleged crime occurred or that any individual is guilty.
What police have said about the hostel room
The Indian Express reported that senior police officials said the three students occupying the hostel room identified in the allegations denied that an assault had occurred there.
Police were unable to substantiate the allegation during their preliminary examination of that location, according to the report.
However, the formation of the SIT means the broader allegation remains under investigation.
This distinction is significant because several different issues have become intertwined: the original sexual-assault allegation, the university's denial, the students' statements concerning Room 504, their subsequent allegations about how those statements were obtained and published, and the violence that followed the protests.
Campus protests turn violent
The dispute triggered large protests at LPU, with students demanding answers over the alleged incident.
The demonstrations later escalated into violence. Property was damaged, objects and vehicles were set on fire, stones were thrown and protesters blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway (NH-44).
Police later restored traffic on the highway.
More than 2,000 police personnel were deployed at the university as authorities sought to bring the situation under control.
LPU suspends classes for 10 days
Following the unrest, Lovely Professional University announced that regular classes would be suspended for 10 days beginning September 28.
The university also postponed its mid-term examinations until further notice.
Students were permitted to travel to their hometowns after consulting their parents or guardians. Those remaining at the university were advised to stay in their hostels or residences and avoid unnecessary movement or participation in unrest.
What is confirmed — and what remains under investigation
Several elements of the story are established: protests occurred at LPU; some of those protests became violent; police registered an FIR against an unidentified person; an SIT has been formed; the university released a video featuring three Room 504 residents; and those students subsequently alleged that they had been instructed about what to say and that their statements were published without their consent.
What has not yet been established publicly as fact is the underlying sexual-assault allegation.
LPU has denied the allegation, while Punjab Police are continuing their investigation. Until investigators establish what happened, reporting that a rape definitely occurred — or definitively declaring that no assault occurred — would go beyond the verified evidence currently available.
The students' later statements also create a separate question about the circumstances in which the university's clarification video was recorded and published.
With the SIT now examining the case, further police findings will be critical in determining what evidence supports or contradicts the allegations at the centre of the unrest.
