Videos circulating online appear to show a student identified as Farhat entering the DSW building during the unrest; he has reportedly denied involvement in the vandalism

Phagwara, Punjab: The violent unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) has taken another turn with videos circulating on social media appearing to show a student identified in reports as Farhat Dev during different stages of the campus protests.

The protests, which began after unverified claims concerning the alleged sexual assault of a female student, escalated into violence, with university property damaged and parts of the campus affected. Police have registered an FIR and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Questions over DSW building

Videos and images circulating online, including material reviewed by Centerwing.press, appear to show a person identified by social-media users as Farhat entering the Division of Student Welfare (DSW) building during the unrest.

Other footage circulating online has been used to allege that the same individual was involved in damaging university property, including displays and other campus infrastructure.

However, Centerwing.press has not independently verified the identity of the person shown in every video or established that he personally carried out each act of damage shown in the circulated footage.

According to a report published by Aaj Tak on Tuesday, police are examining the role of around 30 students in connection with the vandalism, and a student identified as Farhat Dev has emerged in the investigation. The report also says Farhat has denied involvement in the damage inside the DSW building.

A crucial question
The emergence of footage allegedly showing students participating in acts of vandalism has created a separate question:

Can a demand for justice be separated from the destruction of public or university property?
Students have the right to raise grievances and demand answers. At the same time, allegations of vandalism or destruction of property must be investigated individually, based on CCTV footage, original videos, eyewitness accounts and other evidence, rather than social-media identification alone.

The same principle applies to Farhat.

If the original CCTV footage establishes that he damaged property or encouraged others to do so, appropriate action would be a matter for the investigating authorities. If the evidence does not establish such involvement, accusations circulating online should not be treated as established fact.

What happens next?

The police investigation and SIT inquiry are expected to establish:

Who entered the DSW building during the incident?

Who damaged university property?

Who, if anyone, encouraged or coordinated the vandalism?

Whether the person identified online as Farhat was involved in specific acts of damage.
What actually happened regarding the original allegations involving the female student.
Whether any outsiders participated in the violence.

The investigation will therefore have to examine both the original allegations that triggered the protests and the subsequent violence and property damage.

Centerwing.press will update this report if police, LPU authorities or the individuals concerned provide verified evidence or official statements.
Sources/Courtesy: Indian Express, Aaj Tak and other reports cited above.