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Punjab Police Arrest 20 in LPU Violence Cases
Developing
In Short: Punjab police have arrested 20 people, including eight students and two outsiders, in connection with last week's protests at Lovely Professional University.
Punjab police have arrested 20 people, including eight students and two outsiders, in connection with last week's protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar.
Jalandhar Range DIG Naveen Singla said on Friday that 20 people have been identified and named in the cases, with multiple police teams conducting raids to arrest the remaining accused in several states.
Among those arrested are Antriksh Dutta and Sahil Singh from Jammu, and Krishna Kumar Rajesh and Bhavishya Karan from Maharashtra’s Mumbai and Kalyan, respectively.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) analyzed CCTV footage from LPU and other locations, videos carried by news channels, social-media posts, and other technical evidence to track the accused.
Police said the specific role of each accused remains subject to investigation and legal proceedings.
Mohammed Farhat, a student who managed to evade arrest, is under police probe for alleged involvement in campus vandalism.
Singla said police were examining what he described as the “double face” of some protesters.
The arrests were made after protesters began pelting stones and bottles at police personnel and media representatives, and damaging vehicles.
Police have also arrested James Dahiya, a social media influencer from Sonipat, and Ashutosh from Hamirpur.
Gagandeep and Jasmeet Kumar, non-students, were also arrested and are alleged to have reached the campus after learning about the violence and were involved in subsequent looting.
Gagandeep, James, and Jasmeet were produced before a local court on Friday and were remanded to three-day police custody.
Meanwhile, another student, a social media influencer and resident of Jammu’s Kishtwar, escaped before police could reach him in Doda, where he was allegedly staying with relatives.
What's still developing
- Police said he was picked up following a raid at his house in Mandi, adding that he had the viral MiG photograph as his phone’s wallpaper.
- On why the police waited before taking action to curb the protests, the DIG said the personnel initially exercised restraint as they did not want to take coercive action against students.
- Singla said police had recorded statements of several girls, questioned people including hostel wardens, and sent a team to the hostel area concerned.
- From Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, police have apprehended a minor who, they claimed, was the same student whose photograph, standing on a decommissioned MiG fighter aircraft displayed at the university, went viral on social media.