Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], September 29 (ANI): Lovely Professional University (LPU) Pro Chancellor Dr (Col) Rashmi Mittal appealed to students to remain calm and verify information before acting on social media posts, following an “unfortunate” incident on the university campus over the weekend.
Addressing students, Mittal said the university has multiple channels through which students can raise concerns, including the Student Relationship division, an online platform and regular meetings with university authorities.
“But this what happened was very, very unfortunate. I never thought something like this would happen,” Mittal said.
She said the university had a “zero-tolerance” approach towards such incidents and expressed disappointment that students did not approach the authorities before acting on what she described as a rumour circulating on social media.
“You believed in this one rumor and then completely believed and gathered together and all those things happened,” she said.
According to Mittal, some outsiders also joined a section of students during the incident. She alleged that shops on the campus were looted and said such conduct was “completely uncalled for”.
She urged students to exercise caution while consuming information on social media and said university life should also teach students how to make responsible decisions.
“It’s very important for us to be on social media, but we cannot be believing social media blindly. We have to be mature enough to understand what is right and what is wrong,” she said.
Mittal further said that action should be taken against those involved in alleged looting and other disruptive activities.
“Those miscreants are, and those who looted and all, action should be taken. I think police is also taking it a serious note of it and as a university, it’s also our responsibility to take care of such wrong people,” she said.
At the same time, she appreciated students who took to social media to counter misinformation and help other students, particularly first-year students, understand the situation.
She said the university had also postponed a company recruitment drive that was scheduled to take place during the period, noting that the decision could affect students.
“So I want to appeal each one of you, because this is your career, your future, your safety is paramount to us,” Mittal said.
The Pro Chancellor urged students to refrain from sharing unverified social media posts and instead approach university authorities if they have concerns or require clarification.
“Come up to us, we are your family, come up to us. And if you seek clarifications from us, whether this has happened, and be a part of us, and we can check it out,” she said.
Mittal also appealed to students to remain with their families during the 10-day leave announced by the university, maintain calm and focus on their upcoming academic commitments, including mid-term examinations.
“Please stay positive, maintain calm, and peace of mind is very important for each one of you,” she said.
She also assured students that the university would support them and said action would be taken against outsiders allegedly involved in the incident.
“Don’t worry, we are with you. And the people who, the outsiders, especially who have been there, they will be taken to task,” Mittal said. (ANI)
LPU Pro Chancellor urges students to verify social media claims after campus incident
