Late-Night Student Protest at Chitkara University After Social Media Rumours

A large group of students at Chitkara University near Rajpura in Punjab gathered on campus late on Friday night after social media posts claimed two female students had died. The posts moved fast through student groups. They also spoke of strange sounds from a girls’ hostel and ambulances leaving the campus. Many students remained outside through the night, asking the administration for clear information. University Registrar Col Rakesh Sharma (Retd) met the group and said nothing of the sort had happened. “No such incident has taken place at the university. These are all rumours,” he told them. Later the university clarified that an ambulance seen earlier had only brought a student back from hospital. It had no link to any death. Officials added that a visitor noticed on campus had come simply to meet his daughter. Police reached the spot as more students joined. Banur DSP Sukhdev Singh said his team had taken a complaint from the students about the reports. He noted that no names of any missing students were given. He told parents that checks were going on. “All the children are safe here; there is no need to worry or panic,” the DSP said. Videos shared online showed students standing around a police vehicle. Some reports also mentioned damage to the vehicle. By Saturday morning the crowd had thinned. Police said they were looking into the complaints and the social media posts. The university asked students and parents not to forward unverified messages. It said it was working with local authorities on the issue. Hostel life can turn unsettled when posts like these start circulating late at night. Students grow anxious and parents start calling. Even after officials say the claims are false, the earlier scare stays in people’s minds for a while. Getting the facts out quickly helps stop the talk from growing further. The university and police have both stated that no deaths took place and that every student is safe. Students and parents are being asked to wait for confirmed updates instead of sharing messages that only increase the worry.