Violent protests erupted at Lovely Professional University in Punjab, India, after students circulated allegations that a female student had been sexually assaulted in a hostel and later died by suicide. Police have said the claims remain under investigation, while the university has denied that the reported incident occurred.
Students vandalized parts of the campus, set objects and vehicles on fire and blocked the Delhi-Amritsar national highway during the unrest. Police later registered a rape case against an unidentified person and formed a special investigation team to investigate the allegations.
The controversy intensified after the university released a video featuring three female students who said no assault had taken place in their hostel room. The students later alleged that they had been instructed what to say and that the video was scripted and edited before being published.
The university has suspended regular classes for 10 days and postponed midterm examinations as authorities investigate the claims and work to contain the unrest.
