Punjab NH-44 Blocked Near Phagwara After LPU Student Protests; Traffic Restored, What Happened

Traffic movement on NH-44 in Punjab’s Phagwara town witnessed disruptions for more than 15 hours owing to the protests by the students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) on Sunday. In this regard, a clash between the protesting students and police personnel followed with destruction of properties and vehicles and disruption of traffic movement on NH-44 highway connecting New Delhi with Amritsar.

But by Monday morning, police informed that traffic movement on NH-44 had been resumed and the situation came back under control while heavy police presence is maintained on the LPU campus.

The protests were triggered due to the circulation of rumors about the rape of a female student on LPU campus. Significantly, the case is under investigation, and the LPU management refuted the rumors as baseless. The police filed an FIR against an unknown person and constituted a special investigation team.

Why Did LPU Students Protest?

The disturbances apparently started around dawn on Sunday following the spread of information amongst the students that one of their female fellows was raped on the LPU campus. The students then gathered outside the hostel premises demanding action and answers from the LPU administration.

The police filed a case against an unknown accused on the basis of the complaint and set up an SIT to look into the matter. According to officials, the probe would consider the existing evidence, which includes forensic evidence, CCTV footage, and call logs.

Meanwhile, LPU clarified that it was unaware of the incident and requested the students, parents, and the general public not to spread any unverified information. LPU termed the allegations as rumours, which means that the basic allegation is not a fact until proven through the investigation.

How Did the Protest Reach NH-44?

The scenario extended from the university campus as the protesting students assembled on the national highway in front of LPU. The disruption started around 8 am on Sunday and paralyzed the movement of vehicles on the Phagwara-Jalandhar highway.

The traffic was stuck in long lines, affecting the movement of people going to Jalandhar as well as Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Jammu & Kashmir. Police and traffic department officials tried their best to control the traffic flow while the protest went on.

For vehicle owners, the disruption has been the most immediate result of the agitation as NH-44 is one of the main highways between the important cities of Punjab and northern India.

What Happened When Police Tried to Clear the Highway?

The tension heightened on Sunday evening as the police tried to disperse the protesters from the highway. According to the officials, some protesters hurled bottles at the police, after which the police resorted to lathi charge and the students retreated into the campus.

According to the police, there was stone-pelting inside the campus and the police vehicles were attacked. The police also suffered injuries, vehicles got damaged and some two police vehicles were allegedly torched. Further security personnel were called to subdue the situation.

A large number of security personnel under the command of ADGP M. F. Farooqui stormed into the campus in the evening, and some senior police officers conducted flag march in the area.

Is NH-44 Blocked Today?

No. NH-44 is not blocked anymore.

According to Jalandhar Police Commissioner Satinder Singh, the traffic started moving on the highway during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday when the highway had remained blocked for over 15 hours. The police also reported that the situation was peaceful by Monday morning.

However, travelers passing through LPU-Phagwara should be careful since security personnel have been deployed near the university.

What Has Been Announced By LPU?

LPU has announced that the classes will remain suspended for 10 days starting September 28 following the violence. LPU has also postponed the mid-term exams of students till further orders.

LPU students have also expressed concerns regarding their safety, hostel administration and measures against those students who were involved in the demonstrations. According to the police officials, they were considering these concerns along with the investigation of the original complaint.

What About the Investigation?

The investigation of the alleged sexual abuse complaint is under way. Police have booked a case against some unidentified person and have constituted an SIT. The officials mentioned that this team will investigate the forensics, CCTV footage and call record.

Since the university has denied the accusation, while the case is under investigation, there must be a clear distinction between allegations made by the students, the reaction of university and facts found out by the investigators.

Why is There an Increase in Police Deployment?

Even though the highway has opened up again, the authorities have ensured that there remains heavy security in LPU in order to avoid any further flare-up. The senior police officials visited the area and heavy police forces were deployed following Sunday’s clash.

Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also instructed the DGP Gaurav Yadav to visit the university and understand the situation.

The focus right now is to maintain peace in public while the probe and talks between the students are carried out simultaneously.

What Should Commuters Be Aware Of?

While the immediate traffic crisis due to the blockade on NH-44 has been sorted as the road has been reopened again, considering the current deployment and disruption, travelers who wish to pass through Phagwara are advised to check traffic updates first before starting their journey.

The earlier blockade disrupted the Phagwara-Jalandhar route and people had to take alternate routes.

Conclusion

Following an accusation against a girl, LPU students in Phagwara made the situation turn out to be one of law and order since the campus erupted into protests which later culminated in blockage of NH-44.

For the moment, the highway problem is sorted out; NH-44 traffic has been sorted out, LPU has cancelled classes for ten days, and there is an investigation being conducted by the SIT regarding the allegation.

The most important thing at the moment is what will come out of the investigation and whether the authorities will prevent further escalations on the campus.

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