Punjab and Haryana High Court seeks police report over alleged LPU rape claim linked to campus violence. (Img: X)
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab Police to place on record status report on whether the alleged rape of a female student at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara actually took place, after unverified reports of the incident triggered large-scale violence on the university campus.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor issued the direction while hearing a Public Interest Litigation seeking an independent investigation into the violence, arson and vandalism that erupted at the university.
The Court has sought a status report from the State specifically addressing the report circulated on Reddit and other social media platforms on September 26.
Police Asked To Detail Steps Taken To Verify Allegation
The Bench directed the State to inform it about the steps undertaken by the police to ascertain whether the alleged sexual assault occurred on the LPU campus.
The Court also made it clear that, if the alleged incident is found not to have occurred, the State should inform it about the action taken to seek removal of the social media post which allegedly triggered the circulation of the claim.
The matter has been posted for further hearing next week.
FIR Registered, Investigation Yet To Establish Alleged Assault
The police have registered a criminal case concerning the rape allegation as well as the source and circulation of the social media post. However, authorities have not so far conclusively established that the alleged assault occurred.
Reports from the preliminary investigation indicated that the allegation could not be substantiated at the location identified by protesters. The police have also constituted a Special Investigation Team to examine the allegations.
The university, meanwhile, has denied that such an incident occurred and has described the reports as rumours.
Allegation Triggered Violence, Arson And Vandalism
The alleged sexual assault report was followed by intense protests at LPU, which subsequently escalated into violence, including vandalism, arson and looting of shops on the campus.
The situation also affected academic activities. LPU suspended classes and other academic activities for ten days from September 28 following the unrest.
The PIL has been instituted by LPU student Ravi Raj, who has sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the circumstances leading to the violence.
Petitioner Seeks CBI Probe Into Campus Violence
Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Gaurav Chopra, assisted by advocate Arjun Sheoran, submitted that the circumstances surrounding the violence warranted an independent investigation.
The petitioner has also drawn the Court's attention to similar allegations that preceded unrest at Chitkara University in Rajpura shortly before the LPU violence. The plea questions the origin and dissemination of the claims and seeks investigation into whether the violence was deliberately orchestrated.
These allegations form part of the petitioner's case and have not been adjudicated upon by the High Court.
Punjab Says It Is Tracing Source Of Reddit Post
Additional Advocate General Chanchal K Singla, appearing for Punjab, told the Court that the violence followed the circulation of a Reddit post.
He submitted that the police were investigating both the alleged rape and the source of the online post and were in contact with Reddit to trace its origin.
The State's response will now have to address whether the alleged assault occurred and what investigative measures were undertaken to verify the claim.
Centre Also Calls For Probe Into Rumour's Origin
Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, appearing for the Central government, also emphasised the need to investigate the source of the allegations that circulated among students.
The Court, meanwhile, directed the State to take measures to ensure that similar incidents do not result in violence on university campuses and fixed the matter for further consideration next week.
