Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it possible for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe into the September violence and arson at Lovely Professional University (LPU). It has asked the Punjab government to send a report to the Centre within 72 hours on whether cyber terrorism provisions apply to the case.
The court has told the Central government to decide if the matter needs an NIA investigation. This came after Punjab Police reportedly found material during its probe that suggests, at first glance, that Section 66F of the Information Technology Act, 2000 may apply. This section deals with cyber terrorism.
Seeing how serious the matter is, the High Court asked the Punjab government to send a report to the Centre under Section 6 of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act. This law says a state government must quickly tell the Centre when it learns about a scheduled offence, as reported by NDTV.
Punjab has three days to send the report. The Centre must then take a decision within seven days of getting it.
What Happens If NIA Takes Over
The High Court also said that if the Centre decides to give the case to the NIA, Punjab Police must stop its investigation and hand over all important documents to the central agency.
The court said the case is sensitive and the investigating agency must act quickly and seriously. The authorities must also tell the court about the latest developments at the next hearing on November 17.
Rumours Led To Violence
The trouble began in September after rumours spread that a female student at LPU had been sexually assaulted. The rumours made students angry, leading to arson, vandalism, and looting on the campus.
Police registered a case to look into the alleged assault, but they could not confirm that it had actually happened.
The situation then got worse, with heavy damage to property and several shops reportedly looted. After the violence, the university stopped classes and other academic activities from September 28 for 10 days.
Student Filed PIL In Court
The case reached the High Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Ravi Raj, an LPU student. He asked for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the violence.
He said the arson and looting continued for hours even after the police were told that students had gathered on the campus.
Though the PIL first asked for a CBI probe, the court’s latest orders have brought the chance of an NIA probe into focus. This is mainly because of the cyber terrorism angle found during the Punjab Police investigation.
The next hearing on November 17 will show whether the Centre thinks the case is serious enough to hand over to the NIA.