Full Breakdown
Ghost Rumor and Missing-Student Claims Spark Unrest at Chitkara University
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Background & Context
Chitkara University’s Rajpura campus in Patiala district has previously faced a false suicide claim in December 2019, when two students falsely reported a female student’s death after an alleged assault. That hoax prompted a brief protest before authorities clarified the situation. The recent disturbance echoes that earlier episode, but this time the rumors involved a “ghost” of a former student and the alleged disappearance of two female hostellers. Social-media videos and WhatsApp messages circulated the claims, prompting students to demand answers.
Timeline of Key Developments
- September 24 (occurred) – Students reported hearing screams from a girls’ hostel and spotting two ambulances on campus, fueling speculation.
- Friday night (date not specified) – Hundreds of students gathered, chanting slogans and damaging a Punjab Police patrol vehicle. The unrest spread to vandalism of campus property and alleged manhandling of a police outpost in-charge.
- Early Saturday – Senior police officers from Banur, Rajpura Sadar and Rajpura City stations arrived, began verification drives, and urged calm.
- September 26, 2026 (occurred) – Patiala Police posted that no incident had taken place, reiterating that the rumors were unfounded.
Official Statements & Responses
- The university also clarified that a man identified as a “Pandit Ji” visited the girls’ hostel at approximately 3 p.m. to meet his daughter, a student, and that his presence was unrelated to any alleged death. Academic and placement activities were confirmed to continue as scheduled.
- Police officials – DSP Sukhdev Singh (Banur) said students could not provide names, photographs, or roll numbers for the alleged missing girls, describing the claim as a rumor. He pledged to verify each student’s status and examine CCTV footage. SHO Gursewak Singh (Banur) noted that the protest began after a prank sparked the ghost narrative and that no student had been reported missing or harmed. Senior Superintendent of Police Harmandeep Singh Hans and Superintendent Mohit Agarwal both affirmed that no suicides or deaths had been reported and that medical authorities had not conducted any post-mortem examinations related to the campus.
- Medical authority – Dr Sharanpreet Goraya, senior medical officer at Civil Hospital, Rajpura, confirmed that no post-mortem examinations involving university students had been performed in recent days.
On-the-Ground Reports
Students assembled in common areas, raised slogans demanding transparency, and claimed to have heard screams from the girls’ hostel. Video footage shared on social platforms showed damaged police vehicle windows and a confrontation with officers. Some protesters alleged that the police in-charge, Ajay Kumar, was under the influence of alcohol; he was taken to a university laboratory for a medical check, though the allegation remains unverified. Police later restored order, and the crowd dispersed back to hostels after assurances of safety.
Verbatim Quotes
- “No such incident has taken place at the university. These are all rumours,” — Col Rakesh Sharma, Registrar, Chitkara University