Overview
- The unrest began when unverified social posts and a viral Reddit claim on the night of September 25–26 prompted mass protests at Chitkara University and Lovely Professional University that escalated into vandalism, arson and a blockade of NH‑44.
- Patiala police arrested two former Chitkara students, Himanshu and Aryan, who are accused of circulating manipulated posts and have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita with about 10 others named in the FIR.
- Punjab Police have arrested nine people linked to the LPU violence — seven students and two outsiders including at least one social‑media influencer — and have identified roughly 20 more suspects named across two FIRs for arson, looting, property damage and attacks on police.
- The Special Investigation Team probing the alleged LPU sexual assault has so far found no corroborative evidence to prove a rape or identify a victim, and investigators are continuing digital forensics of CCTV, social posts and phone data.
- The cases highlight how quickly unverified content on WhatsApp, Instagram and Reddit can spark large, violent mobilisations, and they have prompted expanded police raids, evidence‑gathering and scrutiny of student networks and paying‑guest hubs around the universities.