‘Shopping for free’: Videos show students looting LPU campus mall amid violent protest | Chandigarh News
CHANDIGARH: Several videos emerging from Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara appear to show students entering shops inside the university’s Uni Mall, picking up food, gadgets and other items amid the violent protests that rocked the campus on Sunday.In one video, a voice can be heard saying “free mein shopping, shopping done” as people move around inside a store.Another video shows a person pointing towards various items in the mall and saying, “What do you need? Order now, will get everything for you in free.”Also read: LPU Student Protest Live UpdatesOther visuals purportedly show students eating food items inside the mall, while another set of videos shows shops and other property damaged during the unrest.The videos could not be independently verified. It was also not immediately clear from the visuals whether all those seen taking items were students of LPU.The alleged looting came as protests at LPU over claims surrounding the alleged rape of a female student escalated into violence, with protesters vandalising property, attacking police vehicles and blocking NH-44.Police said protesters pelted stones at police personnel after they were asked to clear the highway blockade on Sunday evening. Two police vehicles were set on fire and several others were damaged, officials said. A number of policemen were injured in the clashes.Also read: Students atop MiG-23, military tankVideos circulating online also show damage to shops in the campus mall, an ATM kiosk and other university property. Some protesters were seen with their faces covered.According to police, messages about an alleged rape and the death by suicide of a female student had begun circulating on social media on Saturday night, following which students gathered outside a girls’ hostel. The protest later spread to the highway and other parts of the campus.Police said an FIR had been registered based on the complaint relating to the alleged rape and an SIT had been formed. Investigators said CCTV footage, forensic samples and call records would be examined as part of the probe.LPU, however, has denied the rape allegations being circulated on campus, describing them as “false, baseless and fabricated rumours”. The university said it would cooperate with the investigation.A student claimed that the situation had gone beyond the students’ protest and alleged that outsiders and “goons” had entered the university.“The university’s stand is that the students should stay safe. It is better for them to stay inside their hostels and stay safe from the locals and goons who have come. Instead of roaming outside, if they want to protest, they can do it peacefully,” the student said.The student further alleged that several students had confronted those involved in the violence and claimed that the university hall had been damaged, the CS building set on fire and the admission block vandalised.Also read: Abhijeet Dipke’s 1st reaction on LPU unrestThe unrest also followed discussions around the death by suicide of a Telangana student at LPU around a fortnight earlier. Police said the student’s mobile phone had been sent for forensic examination and further action would depend on the findings.The protests continued through Sunday, with students blocking NH-44 for several hours. Police eventually used a lathi charge to clear the blockade after negotiations failed, following which students allegedly retaliated with stone-pelting.Amid the violence, students were also seen climbing onto a decommissioned MiG-23 aircraft and a military tank displayed on the campus.LPU has suspended classes for 10 days from Monday and postponed midterm examinations until further notice.While some students alleged that outsiders were responsible for the looting, arson and vandalism, police said several people involved in the violence had their faces covered.The exact identities of those involved in the alleged looting and damage are expected to be established through CCTV footage and the police investigation.
