Chitkara University unrest: No FIR yet as police probe outsider involvement - The Indian Express
The Punjab Police Monday said they have registered a daily diary report regarding the violence at Chitkara University’s Rajpura campus in Punjab, where students allegedly damaged two police vehicles and manhandled a police employee. However, the police clarified that no FIR has been filed so far.
Harmandeep Singh Hans, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, said the matter remains under investigation, particularly to determine whether outsiders were involved. While comparisons have been drawn to the unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, police sources noted the two incidents cannot be directly linked at this stage, as the situation at Chitkara was brought under control within hours.
The police are reviewing social media videos, including clips on Instagram showing students manhandling police employee Ajay Kumar and damaging official vehicles. SSP Hans said the university authorities had failed to convey the severity of the situation when Kumar arrived alone. However, senior officers, including Station House Officer Banur Gursewak Singh, arrived shortly after and normalised the situation through dialogue without using major force.
The police traced the origin of the unrest to the night of September 23, when horror-like sounds were played through a speaker inside a girls’ hostel. Speculation intensified in the following days over two separate events. In the early hours of September 24, an ambulance entered the campus to transport an ill student to a hospital.
Around 3 pm on September 25, a priest visited the girls’ hostel, triggering unverified rumours that two students were missing or had died by suicide. University authorities later clarified that the priest was simply visiting his daughter.
SHO Banur Gursewak Singh confirmed receiving a complaint from students regarding “haunted voices”, which preliminary findings indicate was a student prank. The police confirmed there were no missing students or suicides on campus.
The protests began around 10.30 pm on September 25 and escalated around 2 am, when students allegedly damaged police vehicles. Officers restored order by 5 am after counselling the crowd.
Despite the calm, hundreds of students gathered again on September 26, demanding CCTV footage, identification of those who played the sounds, and details regarding the hospitalised student. The university fulfilled the request by providing the student’s room number, roll number, and details regarding the priest’s daughter.
Late Sunday evening, the university declared holidays from September 28 to October 1. After the national holidays and the weekend, classes will now resume on October 5. Many students had already left campus by Saturday.
With over 20,000 students and an estimated 15,000 living in hostels, the police noted that the campus’s sheer size enabled rumours to spread quickly. Similar to the LPU incident, social media amplification of late-night hostel rumours played a significant role in escalating student protests, they said.
Meanwhile, the Punjab State Women’s Commission took suo motu cognisance of reports concerning students at Chitkara University on Monday and issued notices to the deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police, Patiala, seeking a detailed status report by September 30.
The Commission has sought information from the district administration and police on four key points. It wants to know if any complaints have been received regarding a student who was allegedly missing, injured, or involved in any other concerning incident on the university campus or in the hostel. If any complaints were received, the Commission has asked the authorities to provide a copy of the complaint along with a detailed report on the actions taken so far.
The Commission has sought information regarding the security arrangements implemented by the university administration both on campus and in the hostels. This inquiry follows concerns raised by students during the protests. The authorities have been asked to outline the measures taken to address these security concerns.
The Commission has also sought a status report on the investigation regarding the viral news, videos, and rumours circulating on social media. It has asked what actions the police are taking to verify the facts behind these unverified reports and identify the sources of the rumours.
The fourth point on which the Commission has requested information pertains to preventive measures. The authorities have been asked to provide specific details about the steps being planned to ensure student safety and to prevent similar situations from occurring on campus in the future. This includes information on proposed security arrangements and measures to address the security-related concerns students raised.
