Akali Dal, BJP, Congress Target Bhagwant Mann Over Violence At Punjab's LPU

The violence at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara has quickly moved beyond the campus, turning into a major political row in Punjab, with opposition parties accusing the Bhagwant Mann government of failing to maintain law and order and questioning the handling of the student agitation.

The unrest erupted after allegations of sexual assault involving a female student circulated among students. The university though has denied them. The protest later turned violent, with damage to university property, incidents of arson, injuries and a prolonged blockade of the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway. 

Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and formed an SIT to investigate the allegations.

Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said police initially tried to resolve the issue through dialogue and used minimum force. He said the police were also responding to stones thrown at them and damage to police vehicles.

"FIR has been registered and action will be taken as per law," Yadav said.

He added that police were technically analysing the incidents of property damage and would investigate "all angles" regarding any possible conspiracy behind the LPU and Chitkara University incidents. 

LPU students (LPU) on Sunday blocked 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

On the recovery of a Walkie-talkie, the top officer assured that all these angles are being probed.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has directed the police to take strict action against those found responsible. 

The Chief Minister also asked DGP Gaurav Yadav to visit the ground and assess the situation.

But the police and government response has come under sharp political attack.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal questioned how people allegedly carrying walkie-talkies and weapons could be present inside the university and claimed that some of those arrested were outsiders. He asked where the FIR had been registered following their arrest and alleged that the episode pointed towards a larger conspiracy.

Badal also linked the controversy to other political issues involving the AAP government, alleging that the LPU episode was being used to divert attention from the ED raids, alleged financial irregularities and the controversy over government accommodation in Chandigarh.

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also targeted the Mann government, accusing it of failing in its primary responsibility of maintaining peace and security. He alleged that outsiders had been brought into the university to provoke students and questioned the police response to people allegedly carrying walkie-talkies, bats and weapons.

Majithia further demanded a central probe, alleging that the LPU unrest could have been politically motivated. These remain political allegations and have not been established by investigators.

Former Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu also alleged that the LPU controversy was being used to divert attention from other political controversies. He linked the developments to the BJP's ongoing anti-drug campaign and the upcoming Amit Shah rally in Jalandhar, alleging that the state government was concerned about the BJP's growing public mobilisation.

Bittu further alleged that the LPU incident was connected to political tensions following Ashok Mittal's departure from the AAP and claimed that the Central Government was monitoring the situation. These claims have not been independently established.

Former Union Minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal focused on the police action against protesting students. Reacting to visuals from the campus, she strongly criticised what she described as a "mild" lathicharge and alleged that young students, including women, were hit, dragged and pushed by police personnel.

She said the incident had damaged Punjab's law-and-order image and the reputation of an institution that hosts students from across India and abroad.

The Congress has also joined the political attack.

Punjab Youth Congress president Shuvam Sharma drew a comparison between the recent unrest at Chitkara University and LPU, asking whether student concerns were being adequately heard.

He stressed that rumours should not be treated as facts and allegations should not be treated as proof, but argued that genuine student grievances also cannot be ignored.

Sharma called for transparency, a swift investigation and accountability, saying students deserve a safe campus, a responsive administration and a fair investigation.

The government, meanwhile, has maintained that the matter is being investigated and that the police acted after attempts at dialogue failed and violence escalated.

The political controversy now centres on three key questions: what actually triggered the LPU unrest, whether outsiders played any role in escalating the violence, and whether there was any organised conspiracy behind the developments.

For the police, the immediate task is to establish the truth behind the sexual-assault allegation, identify those responsible for vandalism and violence, and examine claims regarding outside elements. The SIT is expected to examine CCTV footage, forensic evidence and phone data as part of the investigation.

The incident has also acquired wider political significance, with the opposition using it to question the Mann government's law-and-order record, while the government faces pressure to establish facts quickly and address the concerns raised by students.

With the LPU campus now at the centre of a political confrontation, the investigation - rather than competing allegations from political parties - is likely to determine what actually happened.