The Punjab State Women Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the recent incidents reported at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara and Chitkara University in Rajpura, with the panel seeking detailed information from the authorities of both institutions.
Commission chairperson Raj Lalli Gill said the Commission has sought clarification on the incidents, copies of the FIRs and detailed reports on the safety and security arrangements for students on both campuses and she said the Commission’s primary concern was the safety, dignity and rights of women students.
The Commission also clarified that its decision to take cognisance does not amount to endorsing the allegations circulating about either university and the focus, it said, is on examining student safety and accountability based on official information.
At LPU, protests broke out after unverified allegations circulated about the alleged sexual assault of a female student inside a girls’ hostel and the protests later turned violent, with students damaging property, setting some vehicles and objects on fire and blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway.
Police registered an FIR based on the allegations and constituted a Special Investigation Team to examine the matter.
Police have said that the allegations remain under investigation. The LPU administration has denied the claims and described them as false and fabricated rumours, while the university has also suspended regular classes for 10 days from September 28 and postponed mid-term examinations until further notice.
At Chitkara University, student protests followed rumours concerning two allegedly missing female students and police have also initiated a probe into the unrest there.
Officials have said the two university incidents are being investigated separately while authorities examine whether there was any connection between them.
