A university in the Indian state of Punjab has suspended classes for 10 days after protests on campus over an alleged rape last week, a claim that university officials have denied. In an announcement on Monday, Lovely Professional University in Phagwara also postponed midterm examinations due to the demonstrations, which turned violent. Some claimed the student committed suicide.
Police said they were investigating the alleged incident, adding that the identity of the student had not been established, the news magazine India Today reported. The protests escalated on Sunday as demonstrators clashed with police, and reports in local media said there were incidents of vandalism inside the university. Protesters allegedly threw stones, smashed windows and set fire to vehicles on campus as well as damaging police vehicles, according to reports.
Students also reportedly blocked a nearby highway. University registrar Monica Gulati denied the rape had taken place, saying on Sunday that there was “no truth” to the allegations. Meanwhile, three female students residing in the same building where the alleged rape took place appeared in a video featuring Gulati and backing the registrar’s claims that no rape had taken place.
However, according to the news channel NDTV, a separate video emerged later in which the same three students said they were instructed on what statements to make. The incident comes as the Supreme Court on Monday pushed for accountability over a recent spate of rape cases in the national capital and neighbouring districts, saying they reflected a “failure of law enforcement”. Hundreds of students protested in Delhi last week to demand better safety for women after a teenager said she was raped by three men at a park in the city.
Last month, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped in a moving bus by the driver and conductor, local media reported. Sexual violence is a major problem across India with more than 80 rapes reported to police every day, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Activists said that number is a major undercount and many victims do not report rapes because of social stigma or coercion.
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