The students’ stir against the management of Lovely Professional University (LPU), which turned violent in Phagwara on Jattvibeday, evoked different reactions from leaders of political parties based in the holy city.Following rumours circulating on social media about the alleged rape and suicide of a student at LPU, incidents of violence, including widespread unrest, vandalism and highway blockades, were witnessed on the campus.Vishal Malhotra, state general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress, said that following a message from the party headquarters in Delhi, they arranged donations to hire four hotels in Phagwara and Phillaur, offering free accommodation to LPU students on Jattvibeday night. He said their leaders had been in touch with the students to arrange their transportation to Delhi.Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, in his address at a political rally in the Rajasansi Assembly segment here on Monday, alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party’s mischief had led to arson and violence at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Jalandhar.Badal said this was a vengeful act to punish LPU Chancellor and Rajya Sabha member Ashok Kumar Mittal for taking back his official bungalow in Delhi from AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal.He said, “If there is an independent probe into the entire incident, it will reveal that it is the AAP government which has created the entire disturbance. AAP created the entire mischief to teach a lesson to Mittal for leaving the party and joining the BJP. In this process, it has besmirched the reputation of an institution besides exposing the total collapse of the law and order situation in Punjab to the world.”Badal also condemned the manner in which the police allegedly indulged in a brutal lathi charge against the protesting LPU students. “It felt as if the police were being used as a ‘gunda force’ of AAP. This has given the impression that ‘gundas’ rule the state.” He also appealed to the police force not to do anything that went against their conscience.Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, a Congress leader, demanded justice for the protesting students. He said the agitation should not be contained by force and that a fair probe should be conducted to provide clarity over the allegations. So far, only allegations had been heard, and the common people were not aware of the exact nature of the alleged crime.Expressing concern over the incident, BJP district president Salil Kapoor appealed to the students and the general public to maintain peace. He urged them to ignore unverified and fake information circulating on social media. He stated that violence or damage to public property over any sensitive issue was not a solution to any problem.He demanded a transparent investigation into the entire matter by the Punjab Police and the administration. He stated that if any criminal incident had occurred on the campus, the culprits should not be spared and the victim should receive justice. If the entire incident was merely a conspiracy to disturb the university atmosphere and provoke students by spreading rumours, then the anti-social elements spreading the rumours should be identified and strict action should be taken against them.