📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Gopal Aggarwal
Crime
Rumor-fueled unrest at LPU triggers highway jam and arson in Phagwara
✍️ Amar Ujala · Jalandhar
🗓 27 Sep 2026, 10:45 PM
👁 23
A viral mobile message at night sparked traffic congestion on the Jalandhar‑Fagwara highway and later escalated into vandalism and arson at Lovely Professional University, Punjab.
On the night preceding the incident, unverified messages circulated widely on mobile phones, creating a climate of suspicion among students and local commuters. The rumors quickly spread across social media platforms, prompting large groups to gather near the university perimeter.
In the early morning, the influx of people caused a significant slowdown on the Jalandhar‑Fagwara highway, with traffic coming to a standstill for several hours. Authorities reported that the congestion was directly linked to the gathering of agitated individuals responding to the earlier messages.
By the afternoon, the situation escalated within the Lovely Professional University campus. Reports indicated that groups engaged in vandalism, breaking property and setting fire to structures inside the university grounds. The arson and destruction were contained after security forces intervened, but the episode highlighted the rapid escalation from rumor to violent unrest.
In the early morning, the influx of people caused a significant slowdown on the Jalandhar‑Fagwara highway, with traffic coming to a standstill for several hours. Authorities reported that the congestion was directly linked to the gathering of agitated individuals responding to the earlier messages.
By the afternoon, the situation escalated within the Lovely Professional University campus. Reports indicated that groups engaged in vandalism, breaking property and setting fire to structures inside the university grounds. The arson and destruction were contained after security forces intervened, but the episode highlighted the rapid escalation from rumor to violent unrest.