Patiala: Unverified social media claims alleging that two girl students had died by suicide on campus triggered student protests and clashes at Chitkara University near Rajpura on Friday night, police said on Saturday.
The unrest erupted after posts began circulating across student groups on social media platforms, alleging that two fresher students had committed suicide in a campus hostel and claiming the administration was attempting to cover up the incident. The claims gained traction after students reported hearing screams on the night of September 24 and spotting two ambulances on the premises.
Citing a lack of clear communication from campus management, a large group of students assembled to demand answers. The demonstration escalated into vandalism, with protesters smashing window panes, damaging university infrastructure, attacking responding police vehicles, and manhandling officers on the scene.
Both law-enforcement officials and medical authorities confirmed that the online claims are false.
Patiala senior superintendent of police Harmandeep Singh Hans said that no suicides or deaths have been reported from the campus by students, families, or campus officials.
Dr Sharanpreet Goraya, the senior medical officer at Civil Hospital, Rajpura, also verified that no post-mortem examinations involving university students had been conducted in recent days.
Addressing allegations regarding missing students, Banur deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sukhdev Singh said that while protesters alleged two girls were missing, no names, photographs, or identifying details were provided to the police.
When reached for comment, Chitkara University registrar Col Rakesh Sharma (retd) dismissed the suicide allegations, stating that the situation on campus was fine and describing the circulating reports as baseless rumours. In an official public appeal, the university administration urged students not to pay heed to unverified stories circulating in private groups, assuring them that local authorities and police were working alongside campus staff to address concerns. The administration added that all scheduled academic and placement activities were proceeding as planned on Saturday.
Patiala superintendent of police Mohit Agarwal confirmed that the situation on campus has since been brought under control. Law-enforcement agencies are currently reviewing campus CCTV footage to determine the sequence of events and identify the individuals involved in the property destruction and assault on police officers.
