Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Monday visited Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara to review the situation following violent student protests on the campus over allegations of rape involving a university student and during his visit, Yadav said police had consciously decided not to use force against the protesting students.
Special DGP Law and Order P.K. Sinha was also present during Yadav’s visit to the university.
He said students had grievances and police had tried to act as a bridge while efforts were made to listen to their concerns and the DGP said students were being heard and meetings were being held with the university management to address their concerns, he added that an FIR had already been registered in connection with the alleged rape and that a detailed investigation would be carried out.
At the same time, Yadav said the incidents of vandalism and violence on the campus would also be investigated. He directed the police to identify those responsible and take action according to law.
The DGP said no one involved in the violence would be spared, even if the investigation found the involvement of senior officials of the university.
He also stressed that no person would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
The protests at LPU had turned violent over the weekend, with incidents of damage to campus property and attacks involving police and media vehicles reported during the unrest, and police teams were deployed on the campus as the situation escalated.
Yadav said the police had made efforts to calm the situation by engaging with students and listening to their concerns, and he said students were like their children and that efforts would continue to resolve the matter through dialogue, meanwhile, LPU has suspended classes for 10 days and postponed its mid-term examinations amid the unrest.
The DGP also appealed to people not to pay attention to rumours and urged the media to report verified information.