‘Who will pay for our losses?’: Shopkeepers at LPU mall shattered after violence - The Indian Express
For the owners of shops inside Lovely Professional University (LPU)’s Uni Mall in Punjab’s Phagwara, the violence that swept through the campus on Sunday has left a question as immediate as the shattered glass and empty shelves in their stores: who will pay for their losses?
Violence erupted at LPU after unverified reports alleging that an outsider had sexually assaulted a student on campus. The university denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” and “fabricated”, while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ordered strict action against those responsible for the vandalism and arson.
The shopkeepers claim that they were not involved in the students’ grievances against the university administration. However, as the protest intensified between 2 am and 4 am Sunday, before the students headed towards the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway, their shops were broken into, and goods were allegedly stolen.
Uni Mall is not owned or operated as a collection of university-owned shops. The commercial space is leased to private businesses, with people renting shops to run their own establishments on campus. Several shopkeepers told The Indian Express on Monday that they were still assessing losses, collecting purchase bills, and preparing to approach the police with formal complaints.
The owner of a store said he recently purchased stock worth around Rs 21 lakh in mobile phones and accessories. This was in addition to goods worth another Rs 7-8 lakh that were already in the shop.
“Now there is nothing left in my shop. I am calculating the losses and collecting all the bills. After that, I will make a formal complaint to the police,” he said.
The owner of a laptop shop said his store was also broken open, and laptops worth several lakhs of rupees were missing. Another shopkeeper, who runs a general store, said cosmetics, T-shirts, shoes and branded footwear were taken away. He said the damage was not limited to the missing goods. He claimed shelves had been pulled down and glass counters inside the shop were smashed.
“If students had a grievance with the university, why did they make us pay for it? We are ordinary people running small businesses here. Now who will compensate us for these losses?” one of the shopkeepers asked.
At Uni Mall, the aftermath of the violence was evident. Broken glass littered the shop fronts and escalator area, while inside several establishments, damaged shelves, counters, and other fixtures were visible. Cleaning staff were actively working to clear away the debris.
The damage extended beyond the shops. The nearby food court also suffered extensive damage. University officials said vehicles, including motorcycles and ambulances, were set on fire or damaged at different locations. Windows and other glass structures in several buildings were broken, CCTV cameras were damaged, and portions of the main entrance were vandalised.
A glass model of the university was smashed, while flower pots and other landscaping structures across the campus were damaged. Structures carrying university logos at the entrance were also pulled down. The university, which will likely bear most of the cost of repairing its infrastructure, has not yet put an overall monetary value on the damage.
Aman Mittal, one of LPU’s directors, said he was out of the city during the violence and returned only on Sunday night. He visited the campus on Monday morning.
“There is huge damage. At this stage, it is difficult to put a figure to it. Some things can be repaired, but some have been permanently damaged. Other repairs will take months and require a substantial amount of money,” he said.
The question of who caused the damage inside Uni Mall remains open. Some students have alleged that outsiders entered the campus during the unrest and took advantage of the situation. At the same time, the university has also expressed concern about the possible involvement of people who were not part of the student protest.
Videos circulating online show people entering shops and carrying away goods, but the identities of those seen in the footage have not been independently established. The police are expected to examine CCTV footage and other evidence to determine who was involved. Meanwhile, the university has shut down campus internet and suspended classes for 10 days.
In response to the student protests, the police have registered a rape case against an unknown person and set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.
