Sunny Khurma
Cheif Editor
Phagwara/Jalandhar, October 1, 2026: Police have intensified their investigation into the recent violence and vandalism at Lovely Professional University, arresting three people and taking five others into custody for questioning as investigators work to identify everyone involved in the unrest.
Two of the arrested accused have been identified as Gagan, a resident of Tibbi Mohalla in Phagwara, and James. The identity of the third arrested person had not been publicly confirmed at the time of publication. Police allege that the three were involved in vandalism during the violence at the university campus.
Investigators are questioning the arrested men about their individual roles in the unrest and attempting to establish who else was present with them during the incidents.
Five additional people have also been rounded up for questioning. Police are examining whether they were directly involved in the violence and whether there were links between those arrested, those detained and other individuals seen at the scene.
A major part of the investigation is now focused on CCTV recordings and digital evidence collected from inside and around the university campus.
Investigating teams are going through footage from the university's extensive camera network as well as videos that circulated on social media. The objective is to reconstruct the timeline of the unrest and identify people allegedly involved in vandalism, arson, attacks on police personnel and other offences.
Police have formed separate investigation teams to examine the different cases connected with the violence and to analyse electronic evidence.
The unrest erupted after an unverified social-media claim concerning an alleged sexual assault on the campus triggered protests. The situation later turned violent, with university property damaged, vehicles set on fire and traffic on National Highway 44 disrupted.
Police had earlier registered multiple cases in connection with the violence, including allegations involving attempted murder, robbery, assault on police personnel and arson. Investigations into the original social-media allegation and the subsequent violence are being conducted separately.
Authorities are also examining whether people from outside the university played any role in escalating the situation.
Investigators have been checking videos, CCTV recordings and other electronic material to determine who entered the campus, who participated in the protests and who may have been involved in violent acts.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has meanwhile sought a detailed status report from police regarding the LPU violence and the social-media claims that preceded it. The matter is scheduled to come up again before the court on October 8.
Police officials have indicated that further arrests could follow if evidence collected during the investigation establishes the involvement of additional individuals.
The investigation remains underway, and the allegations against those arrested or detained will ultimately be determined through the legal process.
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