Sunny Khurma
Cheif Editor
Jalandhar/Phagwara, September 29: The recent unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) has reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, with a student filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the violence and property damage reported on the campus.
The petition was mentioned for urgent hearing on Tuesday before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor. The court agreed to take up the matter on Wednesday.
Senior Advocate Gaurav Chopra, appearing along with advocate Arjun Sheoran, sought an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the unrest. The petition alleges that incidents of rioting, vandalism, arson and looting occurred during the disturbance at the university. These are allegations contained in the petition and have not been established as findings by the High Court.
The unrest followed the circulation of claims concerning an alleged sexual assault on campus. Police registered a case to investigate the allegation, while reports said investigators had not, at that stage, conclusively established what had occurred. A Special Investigation Team was also constituted to examine the matter.
The petition also alleges that outsiders participated in the campus violence and seeks an independent investigation into their possible involvement. Again, these claims form part of the petition and should not be treated as established facts unless confirmed through the investigation or court proceedings.
Following the unrest, academic activities at LPU were suspended for 10 days from September 28.
The High Court proceedings are expected to provide further clarity on the request for a CBI investigation and the directions, if any, issued in the case.
The Jalandhar Times will update this report as further verified information emerges from the court proceedings and investigating authorities.
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