India, Sept. 27 -- Violent protests broke out at Punjab's Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar late on Saturday after unverified reports of a rape and suicide circulated on social media, a day after similar claims rocked the campus of Chitkara University in Patiala.

At LPU, protesting students damaged property, smashed window panes and set parts of buildings inside the campus on fire. The also blocked the Delhi-Amritsar national highway outside the university around 4am, demanding registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the alleged accused.

The varsity, however, dismissed the rape-suicide claim, and accused "anti-social elements" of "creating unnecessary confusion among students and attempting to disturb th...