Hundreds of students protested at Chitkara University near Rajpura in Punjab’s Patiala district late Friday night, 25 September, claiming that a female student had died by suicide on campus. The protest continued into early Saturday, with students raising slogans and demanding answers from the university administration.
The situation later turned tense as some protesters clashed with police. Two police vehicles were damaged, with their windscreens and windows smashed. A police outpost in-charge was also reportedly manhandled during the unrest.
What triggered the protest?
The news spread through student WhatsApp groups and social media posts, including videos talking about a “ghost” on the campus. Some students also said they had heard screams from the girls’ hostel.
As the posts spread, hundreds of hostel residents gathered in common areas and began protesting. There were also claims that two female students were missing. However, when police asked for details, students could not provide the names, photographs, roll numbers or other identifying information of the girls they believed were missing.
Police teams from Banur, Rajpura Sadar and Rajpura City reached the university and started checking the claims. SHO Gursewak Singh said no student had been reported missing or harmed.
Why did ‘Pandit Ji’ visit the girls’ hostel?
Another point that added to the discussion on social media was the visit of a “Pandit Ji” to the girls’ hostel.
The university said the man did visit the hostel at around 3 pm, but he had come to meet his daughter, who studies at the university. His visit was later linked to the suicide and ghost claims on social media.
The university has said that no suicide or death took place at the hostel. It also said an ambulance had reached the hostel early Thursday after a student returned from hospital, but there was no death connected to that incident.
Police begin inquiry
Police have started looking into how the news spread and who was behind the posts. They are also examining the damage caused during the protest. No case has been registered against students so far.
Police said the situation was brought under control and academic activities continued normally. Additional security personnel were deployed outside the campus on Saturday as a precaution.
The university has asked students and parents to avoid relying on unverified social media posts and videos. Hostel and placement activities also continued as usual.
