LPU Violence: Founder Ashok Mittal on viral rape rumour, violence and ‘larger conspiracy’ to malign Punjab | Interview

On the morning of 27 September, Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara was rocked by violent protests after a rumour alleging that a female student had been raped on campus spread rapidly on social media platforms.

The university, one of India’s largest private seats of higher education, has denied the allegation even as Punjab police say they have registered a case and are trying to verify whether or not last week's alleged assault happened.

So far, the police have neither identified the the alleged perpetrator, and CCTV footage has yielded no evidence to substantiate the claim. For now, classes have been suspended. Most hostel residents have left the campus, while investigations are underway to identify those responsible for spreading the rumours and those involved in the violence that followed.

Ashok Mittal, the founder-chairman of LPU says the rumours were ‘100 crore per cent false’ and the whole incident – from provoking social media messages and violence – was part of a larger conspiracy hatched by malicious elements to spread anarchy and destabilise Punjab.

“It all started with a Reddit post which suddenly spread like fire on WhatsApp and other social media channels. The students were provoked and instigated by outsiders who wanted to destalise the campus and bring a bad name,” Mittal told LiveMint in an exclusive interview at his 5 Firozshah Road residence in New Delhi.

The unrest began 27 September morning and continued for several hours until midnight at the sprawling 600-acre university that draws students in thousands from India and abroad.

“For now what has been established is that no such incident has taken place. And we know similar rumours regarding girl students came from Chitkara University in Rajpura just 24 hours prior to the events at LPU. This is clearly a design to malign Punjab,” he says.

Founded in 2005, LPU has over 40,000 students, including 28,000 hostelers enrolled today, according to Mittal. The institution's roots are tied to the Lovely Group, which was originally started as a sweet shop by Baldev Raj Mittal, the Founder Chairman of Lovely Group. The family expanded from the business into education in 1999 before officially establishing LPU in 2005, Ashok Mittal is one of the three sons of Baldev Mittal.

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In July this year, Ashok Mittal severed ties with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined the BJP, alongside three of his colleagues: Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, and Raghav Chadha. Months before the switch, the Enforcement Directorate raided premises linked to Mittal, including Lovely Professional University in Phagwara, as part of a FEMA investigation into overseas financial transactions.

What happened on 27 September?

The violence on campus began in the early hours of 27 September, when word spread that a female student had been raped near one of the university's hostels a few days earlier.

The suspect was described by some students as a plumber, painter or construction worker. Some students said the assault had occurred on 23 September and blamed the university for not acting on it.

The agitating students gathered in large numbers to demand accountability, security overhauls, and action from university authorities.

PS5s, phones, laptops, Prada perfumes looted

Images and videos from Sunday’s violence showed vehicles in flames and police wielding canes as unrest spilt beyond the university gates with crowds filling the New Delhi–Amritsar National Highway.

The masked protestors damaged police vehicles and vandalised parts of the campus. To control the situation, physical classes have been suspended for ten days, exams Postponed and internet access around the campus radius was also cut temporarily on Sunday night.

Viral videos showed people carrying away PS5 consoles. The PS5 Slim Disc Edition typically costs around ₹55,000. Even customers' phones left for repair allegedly got stolen.

“Things are completely under control now. Some students have left. Physical Classes are suspended, but online classes are on,” Mittal said.

The Kapurthala police had registered a rape case under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against unidentified person after the unrest

Mittal said what disappointed him most was that national security symbols, such as the MiG-23 fighter jet gifted by the Indian Air Force and installed as a memorial near the university's main gate, were also attacked.

"Efforts are being made to drive a wedge between the Hindu and Sikh communities in Punjab. There is an attempt to spread anarchy across the state. There is a MiG-23—gifted to me by the Indian Air Force at the main gate as a memorial. You may have seen videos where people climb onto it and dance. This is an attempt to demoralize our armed forces,” said the founder of Lovely Professional University.

'Conspiracy against Punjab'

The BJP MP says that police are trying to trace the origin of the viral posts. When asked if it was a political conspiracy, Mittal says he won't use that word even as Punjab is going to assembly polls next year, along with Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

“My businessman friends told me they are thinking of leaving Punjab. Those who want to invest are rethinking their plans. LPU violence is one of the series of incidents that have led to the situation. First it was drugs, then came the gangsters and now it is law and order. It is damaging not just LPU but the whole Punjab,” he said.

Amid that confusion, the university attempted to dispel the rape allegation. On Monday, LPU released a video of three women living in the hostel room linked to the alleged incident. The students said nothing had happened there and asked people to stop disturbing them.

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We know similar rumours regarding girl students came from Chitkara University just 24 hours prior to the events at LPU. This is clearly a design to malign Punjab.

The same students later alleged in another video that university officials had instructed them on what to say, edited the recording and posted it without their consent. LiveMint has not been able to independently verify those claims. Neither have the University authorities commented on the students' allegations.

“I am glad to see across all political sections, be it the ruling AAP or the opposition, everyone condemned the incident and said that LPU is not responsible for this. My message for students is University is with you. Their genuine demands were addressed earlier too and will be addressed in future too,” Mittal said.