Phagwara, Sept. 28 -- Calm returned to the Lovely Professional University (LPU) campus here on Monday, a day after violent protests rocked the private varsity with many students heading home following suspension of classes for 10 days, even as the incident triggered a political slugfest between the ruling AAP and Opposition parties.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav visited the university and asserted that vandals would face action as police were conducting a comprehensive scientific and technical investigation into the violence, which erupted over allegations that a woman student was raped on the campus.
The protests snowballed into a political controversy, with the BJP, the Congress and SAD attacking the AAP government over law and order and questioning the police handling of the situation, while demanding an independent probe into the incident.
However, AAP asserted that police handled the situation with restraint and professionalism, while hitting back at the opposition for "politicising" a sensitive matter involving students.
"At a time when the situation involved students and required sensitivity, some opposition leaders appeared more interested in creating controversy than in allowing the situation to be resolved. They seem to be behaving like vultures, waiting for dead bodies, rather than helping to ensure that the situation remains peaceful," said AAP leader Baltej Pannu.
Mobile internet services were suspended in and around LPU on Monday. However, officials in the evening said the services will be resumed.
DGP Yadav, who visited the LPU on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, said police made sustained efforts to facilitate dialogue between students and the university authorities for an amicable resolution of their grievances.
The LPU authorities held a meeting with the police, civil administration and students' representatives, reiterating that outsiders were to be blamed for the unrest.
The authorities also said the campus was safe, with normal activities resuming.
Earlier, traffic movement on National Highway-44, which had been blocked by the protesting students from the LPU for over 15 hours, was restored, the police said.
A heavy police deployment remained at the university, located along the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, as students carrying bags and suitcases were seen leaving the campus. Anxious parents also arrived to take their children home.
The campus bore signs of violence, with property damaged at several places, while many students blamed outsiders for the vandalism.
On Sunday, LPU students allegedly went on a rampage vandalising property and blocking a stretch of the New Delhi-Amritsar highway outside their campus over claims that an outsider had raped a female student on the university premises.
Later that evening, the protesting students allegedly pelted police personnel with stones and attacked their vehicles, leaving several cops injured, officials said.
In a related development, the Punjab State Women Commission took suo motu cognisance of two protest incidents at LPU and Chitkara University that took place over claims about an alleged rape of a student by an outsider and two girl students' suicide, respectively.
The panel sought detailed reports, including copies of the FIRs and safety measures for students on the campuses from the respective district and police administrations.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.