Punjab witnessed two major student protests at prominent private universities over the weekend after unverified claims circulating on social media triggered panic, anger and, in both cases, violence on campus.Protests broke out first at Chitkara University near Rajpura on Friday night, followed by unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara on Saturday night and into Jattvibeday.Students went berserk at LPU Jalandhar. https://t.co/8WiWM5zaFQ— Man Aman Singh Chhina (@manaman_chhina) September 27, 2026In both cases, the allegations circulating online were denied by the police and university authorities, who said they found no evidence to support the claims and confirmed that students were safe.The incidents have raised concerns over how quickly unverified posts and videos can trigger unrest on large university campuses, particularly in Punjab’s politically sensitive election-year environment.What happened at Chitkara University?The first incident unfolded on the night of September 25 after social media posts and reels began circulating claims that two female students were missing from the girls’ hostel or had died by suicide.Some posts also made bizarre references to a supposed “ghost” and claimed that screams had been heard from the hostel.The claims sparked a late-night protest, with a large number of students gathering on the campus and demanding answers from the university authorities. Students reportedly sought access to CCTV footage and confronted officials over the allegations.The protest later turned violent, with campus property being damaged and a Punjab Police emergency response vehicle attacked. Its front windshield was shattered.Chitkara University Registrar Col Rakesh Sharma (retd) and local police officials interacted with the protesting students and denied the allegations. Police officials also pointed out that students demanding action could not provide the names or identities of the alleged missing students.The university and police maintained that no such death had taken place and that no student was missing.LPU protests follow within 24 hoursBarely a day later, a similar situation unfolded at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara.On Saturday night, unverified social media messages began circulating alleging that a female student had been sexually assaulted by an outsider on the campus. Other versions of the claim suggested that the student had died by suicide.#WATCH | Jalandhar, Punjab: Students hold protest at Lovely Professional University (LPU)Naveen Singla, DIG Jalandhar Range, said, “Early this morning at 2 AM, a large number of LPU students blocked the National Highway here. Their primary demand was that three days ago a girl… pic.twitter.com/ZRBYOb9cCO— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2026The posts triggered panic among students, who gathered near the girls’ hostel in the early hours of Jattvibeday.The situation quickly escalated, with protesters allegedly pelting bricks, smashing window panes and setting objects on fire inside the campus. The protesters also breached the campus gates and blocked the Jalandhar-PhagwaraNational Highway, disrupting traffic.Police forces were deployed in large numbers to bring the situation under control.Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said preliminary investigations had found no evidence supporting the allegations and that no official complaint regarding the alleged sexual assault had been received.The police said the situation was under control and continued to monitor developments on the campus as well as social media platforms.Students raise concerns beyond viral rumoursWhile the immediate trigger for both protests was the circulation of unverified claims online, police officials said discussions with students also brought out concerns about campus administration and communication.According to police, some students complained that their routine grievances were not being addressed properly by university administrations.The incidents have therefore brought two separate issues into focus: the speed with which unverified information can spread among thousands of students and the underlying communication gaps that can amplify anxiety on campuses.Police are monitoring online platforms to prevent the circulation of inflammatory misinformation and have urged students not to share unverified claims.University authorities and the police have also appealed to students to rely on official communication before acting on social media posts.The protests at the two universities occurred within roughly 24 hours of each other, but there is no official evidence establishing that the two incidents were connected beyond the similar pattern of unverified claims triggering campus unrest.Political contextThe incidents come as Punjab enters an election year, making the spread of misinformation and rumours a particularly sensitive issue.LPU’s founder and chancellor, Dr Ashok Kumar Mittal, is an Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in April 2026