30 students injured as Punjab University guards pounce on their Lahore protest

LAHORE: Thirty students were injured in the torture by security guards of the Punjab University as they attacked the participants in ‘Students Rights March’ on Tuesday.

The march was being held by the Punjab University Student Federation (PUSF), a body of different student organisations, including those of Pashtun, Baloch, Seraiki and Punjabi students, outside the Institute of Education and Research (IER) to press for its demands.

The students’ demands included reversal of recent fee hikes, student representation in harassment committees, construction of new hostels, resolution of scholarship issues, restoration of quotas for South Punjab tribal areas, and an investigation into the death of a female student found hanging in the university hostel.

Students also called for an end to the profiling of students by law enforcement.

The protesters reacted when the security guards allegedly attacked them outside the IER as the guards tried to disperse them and snatched a microphone from Pashtun Council chairman Arif Kakar who was addressing the protestors.

A video clip being shared on social media also shows the security guards trying to stop the march and attacking the students.

The video shows the students resisting the guards who are attacking them with batons. The students first retreated and later started hurling stones and glass bottles at the guards. As a result of the clash, 30 students and 10 guards suffered injuries.

10 security guards also suffered injuries in clash; students were protesting against girl’s death in hostel, fee hike

Mr Kakar told Dawn the students were holding their issues-related rights march when the guards started attacking and torturing them. He said the chief security officer (CSO) hurled threats at them for holding the protest on the campus and added that they were holding a peaceful demonstration when the CSO ordered the guards to attack them. He claimed that the guards’ torture had left 30 students injured.

“The CSO contacted his parents and also threatened them that he would not allow their son to complete his degree,” he alleged.

Kakar claimed that they were gathered to demand justice for the girl who was found dead in the hostel last week and the recent semester fee hike.

“We demand the administration take action against the guards for torturing the students,” he said.

A heavy police contingent, led by Iqbal Town SP Bilal Ahmad, approached the campus and dispersed the students and security guards.

A PU official, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that SP Ahmad questioned the CSO’s decision for ordering the guards to disperse the peaceful protesting students, which a created law and order situation on the campus.

The police officer said he would report the matter to the vice chancellor against the CSO for ordering the guards to disperse the students in presence of the police.

The PU spokesperson rejected the students claim as well as the video footage, saying that the students had attacked the guards with glass bottles, stones and sticks and as a result, 10 guards suffered serious injuries to the heads and other parts of the body.

He said the student organisations had assured that they would not involve themselves in provocative speeches before their rally but the speeches were made against the standard operating procedure and they were very provocative.

The PU spokesperson claimed that the head of the student organisation was immediately informed by the security staff about the provocative speeches but he did not intervene. He alleged that the guards took a student aside for making a provocative speech when the students attacked the guards.

He said that the students attacked the guards with glass bottles, stones and sticks before the guards took action in their own defense.

Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and condemned the attack on the security guards without mentioning 30 injured students.

He issued instructions for the best treatment of the injured guards and directed strict action against students involved in the ‘hooliganism’ in the light of the eyewitnesses’ statements and the videos.

The Punjab government has constituted a four-member fact-finding committee led by University of Sargodha Vice-Chancellor Dr Qaiser Abbas as convener to probe the clash between PU students and security guards.

Other members are PU pro vice-chancellor Prof Khalid Mahmood, Higher Education Department Additional Secretary Muhammad Azam and Deputy Secretary (Univ-I) Usman Ibrahim.

Published in Dawn, October 23th, 2024