A social media influencer has come under the scanner of the Punjab Police as more original CCTV footage from the DVRs of Lovely Professional University (LPU) surfaced, providing investigators with fresh material to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to violence on the campus on Sunday.
As normalcy started returning to the university campus, several original video clips emerged, showing events inside and around the department of student welfare (DSW) building. The probe teams have begun scanning the footage along with videos circulating on social media to establish their authenticity and identify those present during the violence. One of the videos being examined by the police purportedly shows the social media influencer, who has a verified Instagram account, entering the DSW building without covering his face. Seconds later, a group of masked and armed protesters is allegedly seen entering the multi-storey building, where CCTV cameras and window panes were damaged. Later, another video surfaced in which the influencer appeared to explain his presence inside the DSW building and denied being part of the violent protest.
The influencer, part of the LPU student community, has more than 21,000 followers on Instagram and was also seen during the protest negotiating with police officials.
Senior superintendent of police Gaurav Toora said the police were examining the matter from all angles but could not disclose details of the investigation at this stage. “We need to check the authenticity of the particular videos on social media before identifying those present at the time of violence in the university campus,” Toora said. Sorabh Lakhanpal, executive dean and head of the student welfare wing, said the university had received some information about the influencer and would share the available details with the police. “We have received some inputs about this particular influencer and will share all the details about him and his record with the police probing the matter,” Lakhanpal said.
