Sunny Khurma
Cheif Editor
Phagwara/Jalandhar, October 2, 2026: Police have stepped up action in connection with the recent violence and vandalism at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, arresting nine people so far as investigators continue to examine CCTV recordings, social-media videos and other digital evidence.
Of the nine people arrested, seven are LPU students and two are outsiders, police said on Friday. Investigators have also identified and named 20 people as accused during the continuing probe.
The arrests mark a significant development in the investigation, which initially focused largely on unidentified individuals seen during the unrest. Police teams have since been working to match people visible in CCTV recordings and videos with other evidence gathered from the campus and surrounding areas.
Among those arrested is a minor student from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district. Police said photographs and videos linked to the student had circulated widely on social media following the unrest. Authorities stressed that his precise role and legal responsibility will be determined through the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings.
Some of the other accused were traced outside Punjab. Police said arrests were made from locations including Phagwara, Jammu and Mumbai, indicating that investigation teams have expanded their search beyond the immediate university area.
Senior police officers said CCTV footage, mobile videos, social-media material and other digital records are playing a major role in identifying people allegedly involved in vandalism, clashes and damage to property.
The investigation is also looking at whether people who were not students of the university entered the campus during the unrest and became involved in the violence.
Police had earlier arrested five people, including students and outsiders, based on technical and digital evidence. The number of arrests subsequently increased to nine as additional suspects were traced.
The violence followed protests at the university after unverified claims concerning an alleged sexual assault began circulating among students and on social media.
The protests later escalated, with property damaged and the Jalandhar-Phagwara section of National Highway 44 blocked for an extended period. Police vehicles and other property were also damaged during the unrest.
Authorities have made it clear that the investigation into the violence is separate from the inquiry into the original allegation that triggered the protests.
A Special Investigation Team is examining the allegation independently, while separate police teams are investigating vandalism, damage to property, highway disruption and other alleged offences connected with the unrest.
Police are also analysing online content to establish how information spread before and during the protests and whether any individuals deliberately encouraged violence or circulated misleading material.
According to senior officers, the investigation remains open and the roles of additional people seen in CCTV footage and digital recordings are still being examined.
This means the number of people facing legal action could increase if investigators find evidence linking more individuals to specific offences.
At the same time, police have emphasised that being named or arrested does not by itself establish guilt. The allegations against each accused will have to be supported by evidence and determined through the legal process.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court is also examining developments surrounding the LPU unrest and has sought a detailed status report from the Punjab government on the incident and the social-media claims connected with it.
With nine arrests now confirmed and 20 accused identified and named, the investigation has entered a more focused phase as police attempt to establish individual responsibility for the different incidents that took place during the unrest.
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