Nine people have been arrested in connection with the violence, arson, robbery and vandalism reported during protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara on September 27. Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said on October 2 that seven of the arrested accused are LPU students, while two are outsiders.
The arrests were made as part of the investigation into two FIRs registered following the unrest. Police said 20 people have so far been identified and named in connection with the cases, while raids are continuing at multiple locations to arrest those who remain at large.
According to the police press brief, the two FIRs relate to incidents including rioting, robbery, arson, damage to property, attacks on police personnel and the torching of police vehicles.
FIR No. 163 was registered on September 28 at Satnampura police station in Kapurthala district under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act, 2014. FIR No. 106 was registered on the same date at Sadar Phagwara police station under various sections of the BNS.
Police said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed after the incidents and multiple teams were deployed to identify those involved. Investigators examined digital evidence from several sources, including social media platforms, news channel footage and CCTV cameras installed at LPU and other locations.
The police said the accused were identified through this digital evidence. According to the press brief, the investigation covered alleged involvement in arson, rioting, robbery, attacks on police personnel, blocking of the National Highway and damage to LPU infrastructure.
The nine people arrested have been identified by police as James Dahiya, Gagandeep alias Kotha, Jasmeet Kumar, Ashutosh, Antriksh Dutta, Sahil Singh, Krishna Kumar and Bhavishya Karan Prem, along with one juvenile whose identity has not been disclosed.
Police records show that the accused were arrested in the two FIRs registered at Satnampura and Sadar Phagwara police stations. Their addresses include Phagwara and other places in Punjab, Jammu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Among those arrested, James Dahiya is from Sonipat, Haryana, while Gagandeep alias Kotha and Jasmeet Kumar are from Phagwara. Ashutosh is from Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Antriksh Dutta and Sahil Singh are from Jammu. Krishna Kumar and Bhavishya Karan Prem are from Maharashtra.
The police said the arrests were made after tracing the accused through evidence collected during the investigation. Multiple teams are continuing raids to locate and arrest the remaining accused named in the cases.
The violence followed protests at LPU on September 27. What began as a student protest later escalated, with police reporting stone-pelting, vandalism, arson and other incidents on and around the university campus. The unrest also affected the Delhi-Jalandhar National Highway, which was blocked during the protests.
Police personnel were also targeted during the violence. The police press brief specifically mentions an alleged lethal attack on the police force and the torching of police vehicles among the incidents being investigated.
The police said they maintained restraint during the incident and did not initially want to take coercive action against protesting students. According to the press brief, the Punjab Police has maintained that students should be dealt with with 'love and compassion'.
At the same time, police said that those involved in law-and-order violations will face action under the law. Civil and police administration officials are continuing to engage with students to address their grievances, according to the police.
The investigation into the LPU violence is ongoing. Police said the identification of more accused and further arrests will continue based on digital evidence, CCTV footage and other material collected by the SIT.