Jalandhar Police Commissioner Satinder Singh said the highway was reopened during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday and the situation had been brought under control. Security personnel remained deployed outside the university on Monday morning as authorities sought to prevent further unrest.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav to visit the university and review the situation. A heavy police presence had been established at the campus after Sunday’s protest escalated into clashes, stone-pelting, vandalism and damage to vehicles.
The students had blocked the highway outside the university while protesting over allegations that a female student had been sexually assaulted by an outsider on the campus. Police have registered a rape case against an unidentified person on the basis of statements provided by students and formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the allegation.
Police officials said the allegation had not been substantiated during their preliminary inquiries. The university has denied that such an assault occurred on its premises, describing the claims as false and fabricated. Investigators have nevertheless said the complaint will be examined through forensic evidence, CCTV footage and phone data.
DIG Jalandhar Range Naveen Singla said the investigation would be conducted scientifically and student representatives would be involved. The SIT is headed by Phagwara Superintendent of Police Major Singh and includes a deputy superintendent of police, a woman police inspector and student representatives.
The unrest began during the early hours of Sunday after claims of a sexual assault circulated among students. Groups gathered near a girls’ hostel and later moved towards the university entrance before the protest spread to the highway, a key route linking Phagwara and Jalandhar and carrying traffic towards Amritsar and other destinations.
Long queues developed as the blockade continued, forcing police to divert vehicles through alternative routes. Travellers heading towards Jalandhar, Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Jammu and Kashmir were among those affected by the disruption.
Tensions rose on Sunday evening when police attempted to clear the highway. Officials said protesters pelted police personnel and vehicles with stones, injuring several officers. Police used a lathi charge, after which protesters moved back towards the campus but allegedly continued throwing stones.
Additional forces were subsequently deployed. A contingent led by Additional Director General of Police M F Farooqui entered the campus late on Sunday, and senior officers conducted a flag march. Singh, Singla and Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora were among the officers present during the operation.
Students had initially indicated that the protest could be withdrawn after registration of an FIR, but negotiations remained inconclusive. They later sought direct assurances from founder-chancellor Ashok Mittal, a Rajya Sabha member, and demanded action if negligence by university officials was established. Police said student representatives would participate in the inquiry process as it proceeds.
The university suspended regular classes for 10 days from Monday and postponed mid-term examinations until further notice. Students were permitted to return home after consulting their parents or guardians, while those remaining on campus were advised to stay inside their hostels or residences and avoid unnecessary movement.
Several rounds of talks between students and the university management had failed to end the agitation earlier on Sunday. Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu said the university would cooperate fully with the police investigation and provide CCTV footage or other material sought by investigators.
Students also raised demands concerning hostel security and accountability. They sought stronger safeguards in girls’ hostels, restrictions on male staff working in residential areas for women students and assurances that participants in the protest would not face retaliatory academic action.
